The Burundian Minister of Health accuses some public and private hospitals of overcharging the government for health care delivered to pregnant women and children under five years of age.
ThaddéeNdikumana, Minister of Health: “It is a loss for the government to pay money that has not been consumed by the concerned people”
In the meeting with the provincial health directors and agents in charge of monitoring the implementation of the free health care program for pregnant women and children under five years of age initiated in 2005, Thaddée Ndikumana has said some hospitals charge a lot of money for drugs and services offered to this category of people.
In this program, the government pays 60% of the bills while partners in the health sector pay 40%.
“It is a loss for the government to pay money that has not been consumed by the concerned people,” says Ndikumana.
He gives an example of a health care facility that claimed to have treated 10 children when only eight benefited from free health care.
He has also given another example of an institution that said it gave medicine free of charge to children under the age of 5 when in fact it didn’t.
He warns the heads of the health care structures who are voluntarily involved in such fraudulent acts that they will be severely punished once caught.
“The free health care program for children under 5 and pregnant women will continue, but the government wants to pay bills of medicines and service granted to beneficiaries,” says Minister Ndikumana.
He hopes that such scheming acts will not happen again, arguing that the participants in this meeting have promised to correct all revealed shortcomings.
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