By Petulia Clarke and Trudy Simpson, Staff Reporters
THIS IS part six in a series looking at the impact of crime and violence on the society.
THE HIGH number of trauma cases seen by the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) is slowly bleeding the institution financially dry.
Data from the Ministry of Health reveal that the treatment of accident victims and deliberate injuries such as from stabbings and gunshots consume on average 30 to 35 per cent of the budgets of public hospitals each year.
Other data also showed that between August 1998 and July 1999, $25 million was spent on treating patients with injuries from violence and accidents at KPH alone.
Acting director of finance Dwayne Bailey told The Gleaner on Tuesday that each time there is an outbreak of violence, the staff and patients of the hospital are not only emotionally traumatised but the institution registers a huge dip in finances already reeling from the over $50 million accrued in unpaid medical bills over a two-year period.
"Fee collection is reduced by almost 10 per cent when we have an outbreak of violence (because) it affects the volume of patients who come into the outpatient department," Mr. Bailey said, adding that KPH was now considering hiring a professional receivables company to hunt down outstanding debtors and reclaim monies owed to the hospital.
The acting director said that each month, KPH, whose fees are often lower than other hospitals and are fixed by Government, collects about $5 million on average and can go to nearly $6 million during a "quiet" month.
However, that sum falls by $500,000 or more when gunshots reign, knife and other wounds are inflicted and trauma victims are rushed to the island's major referral hospital.
July was a particularly bad month for the KPH, recalls Mr. Bailey, who said that finances had been one of the areas hard hit between July 7 and 10 following a gun battle between security forces and men from West Kingston.
The flare-up left over 25 civilians, a soldier and a policeman dead, several other people nursing gunshot wounds, KPH staff and patients emotionally and physically strained and the hospital on emergency mode.
The violence also left the hospital with a 14 per cent decrease in the fees usually collected, as patients, outpatients and those awaiting non-emergency surgery (ranging from $1,500 to over $10,000 depending on the type), were warned to stay away from the institution while trauma victims, among them gunshot victims, used the little resources that the hospital had.
"Most of those who come in the trauma cases do major surgery, which costs $7,500 on average. We have a budget for the amount of fees and elective (non-emergency) surgeries. As a result of the trauma (emergency) surgeries, we have to cancel them and in most of the trauma cases, we don't collect any money."
The acting director outlined that if the hospital handled 20 trauma cases one month, they were likely to receive money for only one or two "and if we collect, it's not even for the surgery," he continued.
Mr. Bailey added that there was a $200 per night cost for staying on the ward and costs for drugs, depending on the type and for medical sundries such as bandages, gauze, cotton and other items consumed quickly and in large quantities during operations on trauma patients.
However, many people believe that they can get free treatment at KPH so staff have to spend precious time educating them, Mr Bailey said.
"While they are on the wards, we assess them and sensitise them about the bill and you present them with a bill. Some promise to pay but they don't," he continued, admitting that the staff often had to approach visiting relatives for payment. The relatives usually don't pay the sum on the bill but give "a $200 or $500" claiming that was all they had.
