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Kickbacks order of the day at Mtwara Hospital
2007-10-23 09:50:48
By Angel Navuri, Mtwara
Goverment efforts to fight corruption in health sector seem to have back-fired, as the vice is on the rise at Mtwara Regional Hospital, and denies poor men and women access to medical services, The Guardian has learnt.
A two-day investigation recently conducted by this newspaper at the hospital revealed that corruption was rampant at the hospital.
Interviewed patients said the vice was taking root and there were no visible measures being taken to reverse the tide.
``Corruption at this hospital is such a serious a problem. It is a dangerous disease, even more than HIV/Aids.
Poor and innocent patients, who fail to bribe medical officers, are subjected to the option of dying without being treated,`` said Amina Salum, who was on queue for Out Patient Department (OPD) services at the hospital.
``It becomes very difficult for a poor woman like me to access medical services. At times, someone can spend the whole day in the queue and go home without being attended,`` she said.
``People who have money are being attended easily within the shortest possible time,`` she said.
She alleged that it was now a common phenomenon to see a person die in a queue while waiting for medical attention.
Another patient, Hamisi Ismail, said there were several cases of patients dying before being attended after being neglected on the pretext of medics being over-occupied.
He said long-queues did not impress doctors at the hospital, and this had forced patients to start chasing medics on the corridors in pursuit for their services.
``A patient who gives a doctor at least 2,000/- is likely to be attended earlier than the rest.
People who come late may be served first provided they are able to part with some money,`` Ismail said.
He said most people in Mtwara Region depended on a seasonal cash crop-cashew nuts-a situation that made it difficult for them to get money for bribing medical practitioners.
``Even if you have managed to see the doctor, still the hospital has no medicine. You are therefore forced to go for private pharmacies to purchase the drugs,`` Ismail said.
There were allegations that drugs at the regional health facility were sold at hiked prices, such that patients were compelled to purchase the prescribed drugs at nearby pharmacies, which were allegedly owned by doctors, said another patient.
``It is not easy for villagers, who are not sure what they will eat at the end of the day, to possess extra money for bribing doctors,`` said Veronica John.
``Doctors are well paid. We wonder why they are taking away the little money from poor people like us,`` she said.
She also charged that several cases had occurred of people dying while waiting at the queue.
For his part, the Doctor in Charge of the hospital, Dr Sylvester Budeba, said that so far, no such complaints have been forwarded to him. He urged people to report such cases so investigations would be undertaken and serious action taken thereafter.
He said that bribery resulted from an agreement between a doctor and a patient.
``Doctors are not allowed receive kickbacks from patients. If a doctor does so, there must have been an illegal agreement between the two parties,`` he said.
Dr Budeba said patients should not be pushed into bribing doctors since they were entitled to public health services.
``I don`t know whether the allegations are true or not. Since we have been alerted, we will see to it that such cases do not occur,`` he said.
When contacted, the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Aisha Kigoda condemned hospital bribery, saying serious measures would be instituted against doctors found to be taking bribes from patients.
“Bribery is strictly prohibited in health service delivery. The government will not tolerate medical officials involved in such acts,” said the minister.
She appealed to members of the public to report such irresponsible medics to relevant authorities who would conduct thorough investigations and take appropriate action.
``Doctors are paid salaries. I am wondering how they might get involved in such shameful acts, taking bribes from poor women and men,`` she said.
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