By Ebele Egoh
The Anambra State Hospital Administrator, Dr. Frank Ifeanaeme, has directed state owned hospitals to enforce approved service charges uniformly, warning that excessive billing and unauthorised fees could prevent patients from accessing essential healthcare.
Ifeanaeme gave the directive on Oct. 9 during a meeting with heads of Medical Support Services and their unit heads at the conference hall of the State Hospital Management Board (SHMB).
He stressed that all government owned hospitals must comply with approved price lists for services, including physiotherapy, X-rays, laboratory investigations, scans and ultrasound examinations.
According to him, charges for laboratory tests and other medical services in public hospitals should remain affordable and, where applicable, lower than those in private facilities. He cautioned health workers against imposing additional fees outside the approved rates.
The hospital administrator noted that many patients depend on public health facilities as their most accessible option for medical care, warning that excessive charges could discourage them from seeking timely treatment.
He also referenced the increase in workers’ salaries under Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo’s administration, stressing that there was no justification for overcharging patients or imposing unapproved fees.
Ifeanaeme maintained that the approved charges must remain consistent across state-owned hospitals until an official review is authorised.
“The very first thing you do in your various hospitals is to save lives before money,” he emphasised, urging the officials to place patients’ welfare above financial considerations.
In her remarks, the Director of Medical Support Services at SHMB, Mrs. Nneka Uzor, urged the officers to remain at their duty posts and comply strictly with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing their respective services.
She explained that the procedures contain the approved charges for services rendered to patients and should guide the officers’ daily operations to promote transparency, accountability and compliance with the Board’s regulations.
Similarly, the Director of the Laboratory Division at the State Ministry of Health, Mrs. Vivian Ekweoba, encouraged the participants to remain committed to their responsibilities and give their best to ensure quality service delivery and save lives.
The participants welcomed the engagement, describing it as an opportunity to address operational challenges and strengthen service delivery across public hospitals.
They also called for regular training and retraining programmes for Medical Support Services personnel to improve their skills, enhance efficiency and promote better patient care.
Ebele Egoh is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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