News / Health
Mpilo engages debt collectors
11 Feb 2013 at 23:02hrs | Views
ONE of the country's major referral hospitals, Mpilo Central Hospital is seeking the services of debt collectors in a bid to recover money from defaulters running into millions of United States dollars.
Sources close to the institution say the institution is owed close to $8 million for services it provided including maternity fees.
Mpilo Central Hospital recently flighted an advert in the media inviting tenders from legal firms with debt collection services to collect amounts owed by the hospital clientele.
The hospital would require the winning bidder to maintain a register of debtors, which shall be checked by the institution's accountant and declare monies paid by the debtors to the hospital.
The bidder would be expected to compile debtors' monthly reconciliation statements and report to the financial director.
Contacted for comment, the hospital's chief executive officer Dr Lawrence Mantiziba could not immediately shed more light on the exact amount owed to the institution but admitted that the hospital was experiencing financial constraints.
He, however, said he would clarify the issue via email, but had not responded to written questions by the time of going to press.
He is on record saying the hospital had initiated a resource mobilisation programme.
Dr Mantiziba said the programme was aimed at complementing Government efforts to raise more funds for the institution.
The hospital has faced a myriad of challenges ranging from an acute shortage of drugs and medical sundries, dilapidated infrastructure to a shortage of ambulances.
While addressing a fund-raising function recently, Dr Mantiziba, said the situation at the institution was bad and continued to deteriorate due to financial constraints.
He said the hospital faced a critical shortage of drugs, food, cleaning materials and was overcrowded with almost every ward having floor beds.
Dr Mantiziba said the infrastructure was built for a population of 100 000 people and was now unable to cope with Bulawayo's population of 1,5 million as well as patients referred from four other provinces.
Sources close to the institution say the institution is owed close to $8 million for services it provided including maternity fees.
Mpilo Central Hospital recently flighted an advert in the media inviting tenders from legal firms with debt collection services to collect amounts owed by the hospital clientele.
The hospital would require the winning bidder to maintain a register of debtors, which shall be checked by the institution's accountant and declare monies paid by the debtors to the hospital.
The bidder would be expected to compile debtors' monthly reconciliation statements and report to the financial director.
Contacted for comment, the hospital's chief executive officer Dr Lawrence Mantiziba could not immediately shed more light on the exact amount owed to the institution but admitted that the hospital was experiencing financial constraints.
He, however, said he would clarify the issue via email, but had not responded to written questions by the time of going to press.
He is on record saying the hospital had initiated a resource mobilisation programme.
Dr Mantiziba said the programme was aimed at complementing Government efforts to raise more funds for the institution.
The hospital has faced a myriad of challenges ranging from an acute shortage of drugs and medical sundries, dilapidated infrastructure to a shortage of ambulances.
While addressing a fund-raising function recently, Dr Mantiziba, said the situation at the institution was bad and continued to deteriorate due to financial constraints.
He said the hospital faced a critical shortage of drugs, food, cleaning materials and was overcrowded with almost every ward having floor beds.
Dr Mantiziba said the infrastructure was built for a population of 100 000 people and was now unable to cope with Bulawayo's population of 1,5 million as well as patients referred from four other provinces.
Source - TC
