By Ben TC Brooks
Several citizens and residents have frowned on the sharp increase in charges at the government-run Fish Town Referral Hospital, in River Gee County.
Locals report that some surgical procedures now carry price tags of up to LRD17,000, about US$85, a sum far beyond the reach of many families in the economically challenged region of the country.
The surge in medical costs is prompting widespread anxiety and resentment, with several patients reportedly foregoing essential medical treatments and even emergency care for being unable to afford what they described as very exorbitant fees being charged by Fish Town Referral Hospital authorities.
“I can’t afford LRD17,000 for an operation,” said Mary Weah, a dejected-looking resident, who quipped, “What choice do we have if we fall seriously ill?”
Compounding public outrage is the revelation that Fish Town Referral Hospital receives an annual government appropriation of roughly US$110,000.
Citizens are demanding answers as to why, despite this sizeable public subsidy, fees charged at the hospital remain so exorbitant that ordinary people feel excluded from accessing basic health services.
Community leaders and concerned families are now urging health authorities and national leaders to launch an immediate audit into the hospital’s finances, so as to review structure of its charges for medical service.
They insist that transparent oversight is needed aimed at ensuring government’s funds reach needy patients rather than fueling excessive service charge,
