MD Seeks Payment Of N20m Debt For Indigent Persons’ Treatment

The Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, has appealed to Enugu State Governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, organizations and wealthy Nigerians to assist indigent patients by paying their over N20 million medical bills this Yuletide.
The Medical Director of the hospital’s, Prof. Monday Igwe, made the appeal yesterday during the annual Thanksgiving and Town Hall Meeting of the hospital held at the hospital’s premises in New Haven, Enugu.
Igwe noted that the hospital has an arrears of unpaid indigent bills in all four sections of the hospital.
“In a section of the four sections of the hospital alone, we have accumulated over N6 million unpaid indigent patients’ bills and this is applicable in other three sections”, he said.
According to him, “there has been a trend over the years that during yuletide in this part of the world, families come to drop their brothers and sisters having mental challenges in the hospital and before you know it, they disappear and abandon them to us”.
He continued that “we cannot send them  parking or throw them to the streets; we ensure they are fed, clothed, cleaned up, accommodated and provide needed medical services for them. These provisions weigh heavily on finances of the hospital.
“We are appealing to our people, as they remember the motherless babies, orphanage homes and other places, our patients should be remembered also, they need that care and empathy for them to recover fast.”

By: Canice Amadi, Enugu