Some doctors and nurses at the Tamale Teaching Hospital in the Northern region have been caught extorting monies from patients despite free healthcare services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Joy News’ Kwetey Nartey and Hashmin Mohammed, in an explosive investigative documentary, filmed health officials demanding that patients pay what they describe as “ward fees.”

Their targets are mainly relatives of expectant and nursing mothers who are covered under government’s free maternal healthcare scheme.

An expectant father only identified as Alhassan said doctors demanded he pay GHÈ»108 to cover drugs meant to induce labour for his helpless wife.

“The hospital told me my wife had been rushed to the emergency ward….they said [the money] was for some drugs which health insurance did not cover,” he explained.

That was the second time he had been told to buy drugs which the officials claim were not provided under the health insurance service”.

Alhassan said in the second demand for money, he was not given receipts even though he requested for it.

Under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) programme, pregnant women are to receive free full package access to antenatal, prenatal and postnatal care.

Speaking to Joy News, the Chief Executive of the Tamale Teaching Hospital Dr. David Kobila said, “the management has heard of extortion of money from patients but no one has filed a formal complaint or brought forth evidence.”

He explained “all patients in the maternal ward are under the free maternal care and Management has not instituted charges of any form for patients to pay.”

Investigations also revealed that nursing mothers who are unable to pay these monies are detained at the facility.

Joy News’ Kwetey Nartey revealed he had to pay some money for one such nursing mother.

The midwife who delivered the new mother of her baby was demanding payment for her work although she is paid a salary. This midwife had closed for nightly duties, but was waiting on the sister of the new mother to provide a GHÈ»30 delivery fee.

Another father said he had paid almost GHÈ»2000 to extorting health officials for his pregnant wife’s last trimester till the baby was finally born.

In some of his cases of extortion, a nurse “came to tell me I should pay GHÈ»5 or GHÈ»10 so he or she could prepare tea for my wife”.

“When I asked my wife later, she said no one had brought her anything,” the frustrated father told Joy News.

Some victims were also asked to pay monies just to see the sex of the new born baby.

In the case of Alhassan, he said nurses demanded money from him before he is allowed to say prayers in the ears of his newly born baby as it is practiced in Islam.

However, he is not the only Muslim who has had to pay before he can say these Islamic prayers.

Watch the full Joy News’ Hotline Documentary Robbing the Sick which airs on Joy News channel on Multi TV on Monday, December 17, at 8:30 pm and Tuesday, December 18 at 6:30 pm.