Labasa Hospital has cleared a large debt it owed to a private hospital for CT scan services, according to its medical superintendent Dr Jaoji Vulibeci.
“We’ve already paid what we owed,” he said.
Patients were previously referred to the private hospital for a CT scan because the hospital’s own facility had been out of order for more than two years.
However, Dr Vulibeci said the private hospital had stopped accepting local purchase orders (LPOs).
“They stopped accepting our LPOs, but we’re still waiting for a formal letter from them. Right now, they’re just saying they’ve stopped, nothing in writing.”
With no working scanner at Labasa Hospital and no agreement with the private hospital, some patients are now being sent to Suva for scans.
“There are airfares and some hidden costs. We pay for the airfare, and patients return the same day.”
However, if patients need to stay overnight, they must cover their own meals and accommodation. This was confirmed by the medical superintendent to this newspaper.
He said patients in Labasa could still get CT scans at the private hospital, but they must now pay for the service themselves.
