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The Kumasi South Hospital at Atonsu Agogo, has been ordered to stop the imposition of a special fuel levy on patients to power the hospital’s generator.

Mr. Gyamfi Yeboah, the Hospital’s Administrator, confirmed the new development to The Ghanaian Times, and said they received an instruction from the Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Alexies M. Nang-Beifubah, to stop collectng the fee from the patients.

The order comes barely a day after The Ghanaian Times published the story of the patients complaining bitterly about the payment of the special levy.

Between GH¢3 and GH¢5 was being paid by patients to the hospital authorities as electricity fees to keep the healthcare delivery on track, following the eratic power supply.

Earlier, when Dr. Nang-Beifubah was contacted on the issue, he said that the imposition of the levy was not completely out of place in view of the current electricity problem, and the effect on the health facilities across the country.

He said there was nothing wrong with the hospital demanding a token from the patients to keep the health delivery system on course.

According to Dr. Nang-Beifubah, the health facilities were finding it difficult to provide efficient health care in view of the difficulty in getting reimbursement from the government for almost 10 months.

“I believe it is the only necessary evil decision the hospitals would have to take for the facilities to take care of patients,” he said.

He admitted that it was a difficult decision but it was in the interest of the patients that the hospital had to arrive at such a necessary decision adding, “If that step is not taken the hospital can record deaths that can be avoided”.