Cabinet Clears $50 Million in Hospital Debt, Ensures No Patient is Denied Care

Earlier this year, the Cabinet approved a massive write-off of over $50 million in unpaid hospital bills at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. These debts had accumulated over the years, mostly from patients who had either moved away or passed away. Despite this financial relief, there have been complaints about stricter enforcement of payment for medical tests. Today, Nisbet-Cansino addressed these concerns, assuring the public that no patient in need of a test will be denied care due to lack of upfront payment.

 

Chandra Nisbet-Cansino, Chief Executive Officer, K.H.M.H.

“At no point is care refused at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital if you cannot pay. Yes, we do try to collect on some of the bills, but as long as you come, especially through the Emergency Department, or if you are on the unit and you need any kind of – whatever test we offer here, be it lab, radiology, that is provided to you without prepayment. Elective surgeries require prepayment, but not any other care that happens at the K.H.M.H. The Cabinet approved a write-off. That was in excess of $30 million, so we are now in the process of going through that, well, engaging the persons who that applies to and reaching out to them. So it’s a lengthy process because it dates all the way back to probably the nineties. So that is what we are doing now.”

 

Marion Ali

“And what system do you have in place to ensure that it doesn’t recur – you don’t build another arrears bill that reaches another few million dollars in the next few years?”

 

Chandra Nisbet-Cansino

“It’s very challenging because Karl Heusner [Memorial Hospital] is the only tertiary hospital in Belize. We treat a lot of less fortunate persons. People can’t afford the private sector, so we cannot refuse treatment to anyone. So we will probably always be in a deficit because persons that need care access it care and the challenges is collecting.”