Osogbo Catholic Hospital Denies Alleged Collection Of Extra Fees From OHIS Enrollees

The management of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital, Jaleyemi, Osogbo, has denied charging enrollees of the Osun Health Insurance Scheme (OHIS) unauthorised extra fees and maltreating them.

Contrary to the claims made by the management of OHIS that the hospital was charging enrollees extra fees, maltreating them and misinforming members of the public, a statement made available to NEWS BOOM on Wednesday by the hospital administrator, Reverend Fr. Simeon Oyetunmbi, said it neither charged extra fees nor subject anyone to maltreatment.

The accused OHIS of failing to grant the request sent to the management of the Scheme, for six months, that the “very low monthly capitation fee of four hundred per enrollees be upgraded.”

The management of OHIS had announced the disengagement of the hospital and accused it of refusing to honour meetings with stakeholders to address the issues. The scheme’s management then asked enrollees to move to the state specialist hospital, Asubiaro or any other hospitals to receive health care.

But in a swift reaction, the Catholic hospital disclosed that it already disengaged itself from the scheme since July 6, 2021 when the management of OHIS did not respond to demands that the low capitation fee of each enrollees be upgraded in order for them to keep benefiting from the standard health care service that the hospital provides.

The Catholic hospital stressed that it had already informed the management of OHIS that it continued engagement with it would depend on whether the services available for enrollees of the scheme would meet the required standard of healthcare service offered by the hospital.

The statement reads in full: “Our attention has been drawn to a public service announcement from the Osun Health Insurance Scheme, OHIS broadcast on the radio and is being spread through social media with the following claims:
That Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital Jaleyemi Osogbo is no longer engaged with the Osun Health Insurance Scheme

That Enrollees of OHIS were charged unauthorized fees at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital Jaleyemi Osogbo.

That Enrollees have been maltreated by the hospital.

That the management of the hospital has refused to honour a meeting with critical stakeholders to address the issue.

However, in the interest of the public, particularly the enrollees of OHIS, the management of the hospital wishes to clear the ambiguities evident in the announcement as follows:

That from the beginning of its involvement with the Osun Health Insurance Scheme, the Management of the Hospital had made it clear, that the continuous engagement of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital Jaleyemi, Osogbo with the OHIS would depend on whether the services available for enrollees of the scheme would meet the required standard of healthcare service offered by the hospital.

That the Hospital Management had notified relevant authorities of OHIS that the hospital which operates strictly in compliance to Catholic medical ethics would not lower the STANDARD of its healthcare services just to accommodate the standard of services accessible to enrollees from the scheme, the request of the Hospital from OHIS to upgrade its very low monthly capitation fee of four hundred (though upgraded recently to Five Naira, still low) per enrollee to ensure standard healthcare services to the enrollees were unheeded by OHIS for six months.

That the reports of the Hospital Management to the Authorities of OHIS about the assaults experienced by its medical staff from enrollees who were not aware of the limit of services accessible to them by the provisions of the scheme were never addressed

That the Hospital management and staff of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Hospital Jaleyemi Osogbo are guided by the fundamental principle of upholding the dignity of human life above all considerations as prescribed by the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church and so did not maltreat anyone or charge anyone any unauthorized extra fees.

That in spite of presenting official notice of disengagement from the scheme to relevant authorities of OHIS because of its unresponsiveness to the above stated demands on July 6, 2021, the management of the Hospital on the intervention of Authorities of the Catholic Church remained disposed to further respectful dialogue with OHIS in the interest of the public in keeping with the identity of the Church as promoter of peace

While we appreciate all our clients and collaborators across all sectors of humanity, we hereby reaffirm our commitment to the provision of healthcare services under humane conditions to all human persons with the primary purpose of nurturing human life and preserving its dignity from conception till natural death in all circumstances.”