Cost of service at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to go up

• Posted on November 27, 2013November 27, 2013
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The cost of receiving Medical Care at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital will in the coming days increase significantly after Parliament on Tuesday passed a new law on fees and charges. 

The Fees and Charges [Amendment] Instrument 2013, was the subject matter of intense public discourse a couple of months ago after authorities at the premier hospital implemented the proposed new fees and levies without prior parliamentary Approval. 

Apart from the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the new legislation will also raise the fees and levies of more than 80 other public institutions, which provide various services to the public. 

Speaking on the floor of Parliament, Chairman of the Subsidiary legislation Committee of Parliament, Osei Bonsu Amoah stated that “the introduction of the new fees and charges are to raise revenue…’’
He also said that the proposals in the instrument are in line with regulations 20 of the financial administration regulation, 2004.

According to him the committee noted that ‘’some of the rates, fees and charges collected by the MDAs for the delivery of goods and services to the general public have become obsolete; for instance the rates charged by the copyright office and the department of social welfare have not been revised since 2006 and 1993 respectively.’’

“This has resulted in a high increase in the percentages of their revision,’’ he stated.

On his part ranking Member of the Committee of Subsidiary Legislation, Cletus Avoka, seconded the motion for adoption of the Committee’s Report.

Mr Avoka warned MDAs who charge fees even before Parliament approves it. ‘’Let us take this opportunity to draw the attention of MDAs that by the constitution and the laws of the country [Ghana] it is only this august house [Parliament] that have the power and authority to approve of fees and charges before they are charged…’’

He described such acts as illegal, ‘’sometimes when they present instrument to the house for approval, and before the approval comes into effect then they start charging fees.’’



By : Evans Effah