Anger Over Hospital Money Matter

ON the morning of 30 June 2010 at 02h00 I got a distress call from my elderly father that my mother of 80 was feeling very sick with severe chest pain and a very high pulse rate. I started calling ambulance services to take her to hospital.

This was an ordeal in itself to get a service to respond, but that is another story altogether. Thanks to ISOS that responded immediately with the highest level of professionalism any person can expect. The ISOS personnel asked to which hospital we would like them to take my mother.
The Roman Catholic Hospital was the first choice due to our good experiences with them in the past.
On arrival at the hospital the doctor decided that she had to be admitted, but not before we paid a deposit of N$13 000 due to the diagnosis. Without hesitation we immediately paid the required deposit by mean of a cheque.
Who carries that amount of money in cash on them at 02h30 in the morning or any other time for that matter?
The next day it was determined that it was after all not her heart but something else and she was discharged. Now here is where the greedy hospital showed their true colours.
When she was discharged, the full and final account had to be settled, something I was ready to do, but had to find out to my dismay that this very strict policy of the hospital only works one way, theirs.
See they now owed me N$9,111.35 in full and final settlement of the account, but since I paid by cheque they are not willing to refund my money until the cheque was cleared by my bank and according to them, that would be a minimum of 7 working days.
I requested them to obtain a special clearance from the bank on the cheque, but they refused point-blank.
They insisted that I have to wait 7 working days for the cheque to clear.
They have the gall to tell me NOW that I had to ask for a special clearance of the cheque before they banked it, and if
I knew that it would be such an impossible mission to get a refund from them, I would have. I can prove to them that the bank has already honoured the cheque.
I paid them their deposit on request without hesitation and was willing to pay any additional fees on discharge.
I simply expect the Hospital to reciprocate, but the risk is too high for them.
What about the risk I am taking having to wait for 7 days for them and the 7 days I will have to wait for their cheque to clear? But then, they are the mighty Roman Catholic Hospital.
I pray that I never ever have to deal with them again. Thanks heavens for other private hospitals, just a pity it is too late now. Roman Catholic Hospital, if I have anything to say, you will NEVER see me again and I trust the rest of Namibia take cognisance of your greediness.

Anti Greed
Via e-mail
Note: Name and address provided – Ed