ARDD calls for end to personal document retention for unpaid bills in public hospitals

AMMAN — The Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD) through the Forum for Supporting the Justice Sector is integrating the right to health into the justice system through the use of its Public Health Policy Lab sessions, according to an ARDD statement.

The forum enjoys the participation of experts in the justice and health sectors. The sector has witnessed a steep decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an increase in cases of medical accountability lacking health services, and adoption of practices that proved to be illegal, according to the ARDD. This includes the seizure of patients’ personal documents by way of ensuring payment for their treatment.

During the Public Health Policy Lab session, the ARDD raised the issue of hospitals withholding patients’ personal documents as a guarantee that they would settle their hospital fees, a problem that was urgent for the Ministry of Health to address. 

Minister of Health Feras Al Hawari directed the heads of health directorates and hospitals, asking them to prevent the seizure of patients’ identification documents, deemed illegal by Article 10 of the Civil Status Law.

The ARDD presented a legal analysis that dealt with 565 cases in which identification documents had been withheld by Jordanian hospitals in the period of 2020-2021. 

The number of such cases varied across the various Jordanian governorates. The central governorates witnessed 216 cases, the northern governorates 187 cases, the southern governorates 111 cases, and the Syrian refugee camps (Azraq and Zaatari) 51 cases.

“This illegal practice poses a great problem, especially for refugees. As such, the legal aid department issued a recommendation, to be circulated by the directorates of health in Jordan asking for the practice to stop and for hospitals to resort instead to legal means and relevant enforcement entities in addition to establishing a mechanism that enables patients to pay their dues in installments,” read the ARDD statement. 

The ARDD shared a letter with Hawari, informing him of the severity of the issue, in particular for refugees.  

In response to the letter, Hawari issued a circular to the heads of health directorates and hospitals, instructing them to ask their staff to desist from withholding personal identification documents of both Jordanian and non-Jordanian patients who fail to pay the costs of their treatment at Ministry of Health hospitals, instead resorting to legal action.  

Hawari has instructed that instead of seizing patients’ personal documents, the accountant or administrative employees request that the patients or their sponsor sign a pledge that they will pay the amount due upon their discharge from the hospital.

The issue has not been fully addressed yet, said the statement. The ARDD said that they will follow up on hospital adherence to the Health Ministry’s directive in cooperation with the Justice Forum’s Public Health Policy Lab.