Public Accounts Committee donates GH₵33,000 to Pantang Hospital

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has donated GH₵33,000 to Pantang Hospital to assist the facility in covering treatment costs for vulnerable and abandoned patients. The donation, announced by PAC Chairperson Abena Osei-Asare, is specifically intended to offset debts incurred from providing medical care to individuals found on the streets who lack the means to pay for their treatment.

The decision to provide financial support emerged during a committee sitting to review the Auditor-General’s report. Hospital officials had previously disclosed to the committee that they were forced to waive significant debts for patients who had no family support or financial resources. In response, PAC members urged the hospital administration to utilize the new funds to clear these outstanding balances, ensuring that the facility remains operational despite the financial burden of charitable care.

While expressing their gratitude for the intervention, authorities at Pantang Hospital raised concerns regarding the trend of the public abandoning individuals with mental health conditions at the facility without prior coordination. They cautioned that such uncoordinated actions put an immense strain on hospital resources and medical staff. To address this, the hospital recommended that the public and families contact social welfare officers to manage such cases through the proper legal and administrative channels.

This financial boost is expected to provide temporary relief to the hospital, which frequently deals with the logistical and financial complexities of treating the destitute. The PAC’s gesture underscores the ongoing challenges faced by mental health institutions in Ghana as they balance their mandate to provide care with the realities of limited subventions and the rising costs of patient management.