The authorities of the Saint Dominic's Hospital at Akwatia have over the past two weeks detained 32 patients for failing to settle their medical bills totalling about ?3.1million.

The administrator of the hospital, Mr Patrick Owusu-Bonsu, who disclosed this to newsmen at Akwatia on Saturday, said the health facility experiences at least 200 of such cases yearly, leaving it with an annual indebtedness between ?16 million to ?20 million.

Mr Owusu-Bonsu was responding to questions on the Pauper Fund being operated by the hospital in view of the increasing number of patients, who abscond or fail to settle their medical bills.

This was after the Minister of Health, Professor Kwaku Danso-Boafo, who toured the hospital, had offered to pay the ?300,000 bill of Madam Abena Manu, 78, of Akyem Nwenase who was admitted for celeritous, a sore infection on her right leg.

Like the many others, Madam Manu, who was discharged two weeks ago, has not been able to settle her medical bill.

Commenting on the issue, Mr Owusu-Bonsu said the Pauper Fund is "a difficult policy to implement" in mission hospitals since his outfit gets an annual grant of ?3 million from the Ministry of Health, which lasts for only two weeks.

He said many patients admitted at the hospital are not able to pay their bills, compelling the authorities to institute a work scheme for those who are fit to cover part of their bills before they are discharged to forestall the collapse of the hospital.

The administrator said Catholic nuns at the hospital also solicit for foreign assistance at the end of every year to defray the medical bills of patients who genuinely cannot settle their bills or are not capable of working.