Bereaved Families Decry 20% Development Levy Charges …On Dead Bodies 37 Military Hospital Charging Dead Bodies …20% Development Fee; Families Angry

The Anchor has established that the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, one of the nation’s revered referral medical institutions has been levying corpses deposited at its morgue some 20 per cent extra fees termed as ‘Hospital Development Fee’ which many decry.

The paper’s checks reveal the hospital has, indeed, been surcharging the levy on relatives of the dead, after the regular prescribed fees for storage are paid.

The assertion was further confirmed by an official receipt from the mortuary sighted by The Anchor listing the 20% Hospital Development Fee among items.

Some bereaved relatives who spoke to The Anchor, are therefore, describing the 20% levy as unreasonable and insensitive; explaining they are unable to fathom out why management of the facility should place further levy on the corpse after all fees for preservation have been paid.

This paper is, however, informed the issue had existed for a very long time, and has been preventing a section of the public who know about it from patronizing the services of the 37 Military Hospital mortuary.

Meanwhile, a glance through the mortuary bill reveals about 17 items listed as being charged on a corpse by the facility – including the 20% development fee.

Other items are; Storage, Pm/Theatre and Accessories, Postmortem Histopathology, Embalmment, Hospital Development Fee (sic), Disinfectant, Gloves, Documentation, Utilities, Body ID, Handling, Bathing, Dressing, Inconvenience, Body Viewing, Funeral Service at Morgue and Coffin Storage.”

It is, however, unclear, if the hospital development fee being charged by the facility is a normal practice by all other mortuaries across the country, or peculiar only to the 37 Military Hospital.

When The Anchor contacted General Administrator of the 37 Military Hospital, Lt. Col Kojo Abiti explanation, he declined to comment. He, however, directed the paper to speak to Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the facility, who also proved unavailable.

Col Abiti explains that issues like the one under review are handledonly by the Public Relations (PR) Unit and, therefore, the question should be channeled through the Public Relations Directorate to be addressed there.

source:theanchorghana