The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) announced on Monday that it has donated GH¢33,000 to Pantang Hospital to cover treatment costs for vulnerable patients, including those found on the streets and brought to the facility.
Following a review of the Auditor‑General’s report, hospital officials revealed that the hospital had previously waived debts incurred while treating patients who could not afford their medical bills. The PAC, led by Chairperson and Atiwa East MP Abena Osei‑Asare, requested that the hospital remove the outstanding amount from its books.
“Pantang Hospital, on behalf of the Public Accounts Committee, we would like to take this debt off your books. As I said, these are people that they found on the streets that they brought to your facility. So on behalf of all of us here, we'd like you to take care of the cost,” Osei‑Asare said.
Hospital officials welcomed the donation, describing the gesture as a relief to the facility. They also urged the public not to pick up people suspected of having mental health conditions from the streets and leave them at the hospital without proper coordination.
The officials advised the public to contact social welfare officers at the relevant assemblies and the police to ensure such cases are handled appropriately. They explained that district assemblies could use their disability funds to support treatment costs, with the hospital’s social welfare department helping to coordinate the process.
The hospital warned that treating patients without a clear arrangement for covering their bills places pressure on its limited resources, including medicines and other consumables.
