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Koforidua Hospital loses revenue: 201 patients fail to pay GH¢168,405 medical bills
• Dr Akoto-Ampaw speaking at the meeting
Two hundred and one patients treated at the Eastern Regional Hospital at Koforidua, vanished into thin air without paying their medical bills totalling GH¢168,405
Narrating the sad story to The Spectator at Koforidua, Dr. Arko Akoto-Ampaw, the Medical Director, revealed that a total of GH¢103,476 was lost in 2022 because 77 patients failed to pay the hospital fees after they had been treated.
He claimed that in 2021, 58 patients failed to pay their bills, amounting to GH¢39,356, while in 2020, the hospital lost GH¢25,573 because 66 patients defaulted.
He was worried about the trend and said that the continuous loss of such huge sums of money annually was a drain on the hospital’s coffers.
Dr. Akoto-Ampaw, who spoke to The Spectator during the hospital’s 2022 Annual Review Meeting with the press, advised patients who owed the hospital to approach the Social Welfare Department to negotiate payment plans in case they were unable to pay their medical bills but not to sneak out of the facility.
The review meeting was held to make public the hospital’s activities undertaken during the year under review, and to explain their achievements and challenges, as well as the way forward.
The Medical Director explained that “sometimes we want to give a
human face to some of these situations, and because we are a government hospital, we do not want to take money before we serve the patients.
“Human life is important, and so we first take care of the patients and then demand the money later; that should not warrant some patients running away.”
He said, “this place is not a prison, and so you cannot also prevent people from walking about and taking fresh air, and that is how they disappear. They take their things out one after the other, and then they vanish.”
Dr. Akoto-Ampaw said the hospital had put in measures that would ensure that patients were tracked and made to pay after treatment or sign undertakings before they were allowed to leave the hospital.
He said that some patients classified as “paupers”, that is, those for whom the hospital was certain they genuinely could not afford to pay for the services rendered them, also caused a loss of GH¢3,183 in 2022, GH¢9,096 in 2021, and GH¢9,561 in 2020.
He disclosed that out of a total amount of GH¢166,760 owed to the hospital by patients who signed undertakings to pay later, GH¢34,136 had been redeemed.
He said the hospital had rehabilitated some facilities, including washrooms for the mother’s hostels, a CT scan ward, a pre-operating room at the main theatre, and the construction of an autopsy unit.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
