<table>
<tr>
                                            <td vAlign="top" align="left" width="1298" height="64">
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">&nbsp;</p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal" align="center">
                                              <b><font face="Arial">HOSPITAL 
                                              FEES ACT, 1971 (ACT 387)</font></b></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">ARRANGEMENT OF 
                                              SECTIONS</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;1. Hospital 
                                              Fees</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;2. General 
                                              exemptions from hospital fees</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;3. Exemptions 
                                              for particular services</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;4. Exemptions 
                                              for particular classes of persons</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;5. Increased 
                                              fees payable in certain cases</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;6. Persons 
                                              liable to pay fees</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;7. Manner of 
                                              payment of fees</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;8. Recovery of 
                                              fees</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&nbsp;9. Evidence</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">10. False 
                                              representations</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">11. Regulations</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">12. 
                                              Interpretation</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">13. Repeals</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">14. 
                                              Commencement.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal" align="center">
                                              <b><font face="Arial">THE THREE 
                                              HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVENTH</font></b></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal" align="center">
                                              <b><font face="Arial"></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal" align="center">
                                              <b><font face="Arial">ACT OF THE 
                                              PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF 
                                              GHANA</font></b></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">ENTITLED</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">THE HOSPITAL 
                                              FEES ACT,&nbsp; 1971</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">AN ACT&nbsp; to 
                                              regulate the fees payable in 
                                              respect of hospital services, and 
                                              for matters connected therewith.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">DATE OF ASSENT: 
                                              6th October, 1971</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">BE IT ENACTED&nbsp; 
                                              by the President and the National 
                                              Assembly in this present 
                                              Parliament assembled as follows&#8212;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              1&#8212;Hospital Fees.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) Subject to 
                                              the provisions of this Act, any 
                                              person who receives services at a 
                                              hospital shall pay for those 
                                              services the prescribed basic 
                                              fees.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) Except as 
                                              provided by this Act and 
                                              regulations made thereunder, no 
                                              person shall be liable to pay any 
                                              fees in respect of services 
                                              rendered to him in a hospital.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              2&#8212;General Exemptions from Hospital 
                                              Fees.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">No fees shall 
                                              be paid in respect of services 
                                              rendered in a hospital to&#8212;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(a) any person 
                                              certified in writing by a medical 
                                              officer to be unable to pay those 
                                              fees on the ground of poverty;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(b) any person 
                                              suffering from such disease or 
                                              condition as may be prescribed;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(c) any pupil 
                                              or student receiving full-time 
                                              education in a recognised 
                                              institution;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(d) any 
                                              prescribed class of persons 
                                              working or studying within the 
                                              Health Service;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(e) any person 
                                              requested by the medical officer 
                                              concerned to attend or come to a 
                                              hospital for admission for the 
                                              purpose of teaching;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(f) any person 
                                              for the time being in lawful 
                                              custody;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(g) any 
                                              certified psychiatric patient;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(h) any other 
                                              prescribed class of persons.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              3&#8212;Exemptions for Particular 
                                              Services.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) No fees 
                                              shall be paid in respect of any 
                                              medical examination or report 
                                              required by any department of 
                                              state, or in connection with the 
                                              official duties of any employee of 
                                              a department of state, or in 
                                              connection with the entry of any 
                                              person into a department of state 
                                              or his departure therefrom.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) No fees 
                                              shall be paid by any person 
                                              receiving medical attention in a 
                                              hospital in respect of any medical 
                                              report relating to him.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(3) No fees 
                                              shall be paid by any person in 
                                              respect of any prescribed 
                                              laboratory examination carried out 
                                              on him during out-patient 
                                              attendance.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(4) No fees 
                                              shall be paid by any person in 
                                              respect of X-ray films taken for 
                                              the purposes of tuberculosis 
                                              control.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(5) No fees 
                                              shall be paid by any person other 
                                              than a non-resident alien&#8212;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(a) in respect 
                                              of any casualty treatment given 
                                              which does not involve admission 
                                              into hospital; or</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(b) in respect 
                                              of treatment involving splints or 
                                              other similar appliances.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              4&#8212;Exemptions for Particular 
                                              Classes of Persons.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) No fees 
                                              other than the fees prescribed for 
                                              accommodation and maintenance 
                                              shall be paid in respect of 
                                              services rendered in a hospital 
                                              to&#8212;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(a) any person 
                                              who is not gainfully employed and 
                                              who is under the age of eighteen 
                                              years or over the age of 
                                              sixty-five years;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(b) any person 
                                              other than a non-resident alien in 
                                              respect of ante-natal care at a 
                                              health post, rural health centre 
                                              or clinic, or any other hospital 
                                              specified by the Director of 
                                              Medical Services by notice 
                                              published in the Gazette;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(c) any 
                                              maternity patient who has had four 
                                              or more child births;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(d) any 
                                              maternity patient referred to a 
                                              hospital from a clinic or health 
                                              centre;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(e) any 
                                              maternity patient referred to a 
                                              hospital by a registered midwife 
                                              or registered medical 
                                              practitioner.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) No fees in 
                                              respect of accommodation or 
                                              maintenance shall be paid where 
                                              any person referred to in 
                                              subsection (1) is exempted from 
                                              such payment by any provision of 
                                              section 2.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(3) 
                                              Notwithstanding the provisions of 
                                              subsections (1) and (2) of this 
                                              section where a patient requests 
                                              for special amenities such patient 
                                              shall pay such fees as may be 
                                              prescribed.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              5&#8212;Increased Fees Payable in 
                                              Certain Cases.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Where services 
                                              are rendered in a hospital to any 
                                              person who is&#8212;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(a) a private 
                                              patient; or</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(b) a 
                                              non-resident alien; or</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(c) a member of 
                                              the diplomatic staff of a country 
                                              which does not give reciprocal 
                                              medical coverage to Ghanaian 
                                              diplomatic staff accredited to 
                                              that country or Ghanaians resident 
                                              in that country; or</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(d) the wife or 
                                              child of a person referred to in 
                                              paragraph (c),</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">and such person 
                                              is liable to pay any fee under the 
                                              foregoing provisions of this Act, 
                                              the fee payable shall be not less 
                                              than such fee as shall be payable 
                                              by a Ghanaian diplomat accredited 
                                              to or resident in the country of 
                                              that person.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              6&#8212;Persons Liable to Pay Fees.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) Subject to 
                                              the provision of this section, the 
                                              person liable to pay any fee under 
                                              this Act shall be the person in 
                                              respect of whom the service was 
                                              rendered.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) 
                                              Notwithstanding subsection (1), 
                                              where it is a term in the 
                                              conditions of service of any 
                                              person employed by the Government 
                                              that such person shall be entitled 
                                              to receive any free medical 
                                              attention, such person shall to 
                                              that extent not be liable for the 
                                              payment of fees under this Act.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              7&#8212;Manner of Payment of Fees.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) The fees 
                                              payable under this Act shall be 
                                              paid to the hospital revenue 
                                              officer at the hospital where the 
                                              fees were incurred, upon the issue 
                                              by that officer of a bill 
                                              specifying the fees to be paid.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) The 
                                              hospital revenue officer shall 
                                              issue an official receipt to every 
                                              person making a payment under this 
                                              Act.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(3) Any 
                                              hospital revenue officer who 
                                              fails, at the time of receiving a 
                                              payment under this Act, to issue 
                                              an official receipt to the person 
                                              making that payment, shall be 
                                              guilty of an offence and liable on 
                                              summary conviction to a fine not 
                                              exceeding two thousand new cedis 
                                              or to imprisonment not exceeding 
                                              twelve months or to both.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              8&#8212;Recovery of Fees.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">A hospital 
                                              revenue officer or any other 
                                              person appointed by the Minister 
                                              may sue for the recovery of any 
                                              fees payable under this Act which 
                                              are unpaid together with any costs 
                                              properly incurred.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              9&#8212;Evidence.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">In any 
                                              proceedings for the recovery of 
                                              any fees payable under this Act, 
                                              an account signed by the hospital 
                                              revenue officer setting out the 
                                              amount claimed from the defendant 
                                              in the proceedings shall be 
                                              admissible in evidence without 
                                              proof of the signature, and shall 
                                              be prima facie evidence of the 
                                              amount due.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              10&#8212;False Representations.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) Any person 
                                              who by a false representation 
                                              obtains without payment or at a 
                                              reduced rate of payment any 
                                              medicine, surgical appliance, 
                                              attendance or treatment at a 
                                              hospital shall be guilty of an 
                                              offence and liable on conviction 
                                              to a fine not exceeding one 
                                              hundred new cedis.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) Any person 
                                              who commits any of the acts 
                                              referred to in subsection (1) 
                                              shall, whether or not he is 
                                              prosecuted, be liable to pay for 
                                              such medicine, surgical appliance, 
                                              attendance or treatment at the 
                                              prescribed rates, and in respect 
                                              of such payment shall not be 
                                              entitled to the benefit of any 
                                              exemption under this Act.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              11&#8212;Regulations.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">The Minister 
                                              may with the approval of the 
                                              Cabinet by legislative instrument 
                                              make regulations prescribing 
                                              anything that is to be prescribed 
                                              for the purposes of this Act, 
                                              granting further exemptions in 
                                              respect of any class of persons or 
                                              any form of treatment, or 
                                              otherwise for giving effect to the 
                                              provisions and purposes of this 
                                              Act.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              12&#8212;Interpretation.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(1) In this 
                                              Act,&#8212;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;department of 
                                              state&quot; includes the Civil Service, 
                                              the Judicial Service, the Teaching 
                                              Service, the Police Service, the 
                                              Prisons Service, the Armed Forces 
                                              of Ghana, and any other prescribed 
                                              service;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;hospital&quot; 
                                              means any government-controlled 
                                              hospital, dispensary, health 
                                              centre, clinic, mental or 
                                              psychiatric hospital or other 
                                              government medical institution at 
                                              which medical treatment is 
                                              available;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;hospital 
                                              revenue officer&quot; means the officer 
                                              responsible for the collection of 
                                              fees at a hospital;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;medical 
                                              officer concerned&quot; means a medical 
                                              officer wholly or partly 
                                              responsible for the medical care 
                                              of a patient at a hospital;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;Minister&quot; 
                                              means the Minister responsible for 
                                              Health;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;non-resident 
                                              alien&quot; means an alien who does not 
                                              have a residence permit entitling 
                                              him to remain in Ghana for six 
                                              months or more, or who is not 
                                              lawfully exempted from having a 
                                              residence permit;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;prescribed&quot; 
                                              means prescribed by regulations 
                                              made under section 11;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;private 
                                              patient&quot; means a patient who 
                                              requests and is prepared to pay 
                                              for special attention and 
                                              amenities in lieu of the attention 
                                              and amenities ordinarily 
                                              appropriate to his case;</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">&quot;special 
                                              amenities&quot; means the accommodation 
                                              and maintenance of a patient in a 
                                              ward designated by the Director of 
                                              Medical Services as an amenity 
                                              ward, in which the patient enjoys 
                                              personal facilities for washing 
                                              and toilet and where special diets 
                                              and other facilities are provided 
                                              at extra cost.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">(2) Where there 
                                              is any doubt as to whether an 
                                              institution at which treatment is 
                                              available is government-controlled 
                                              so as to be a &quot;hospital&quot; within 
                                              the meaning of this Act, the 
                                              Director of Medical Services, 
                                              after consultation with the 
                                              Minister, may resolve such doubt 
                                              by notice published in the 
                                              Gazette.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              13&#8212;Repeals.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">The Hospital 
                                              Fees Decree, 1969 (N.L.C.D. 360) 
                                              and the Hospital Fees Decree, 1969 
                                              (Amendment) Act, 1970 (Act 325) 
                                              are hereby repealed.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">Section 
                                              14&#8212;Commencement.</font></p>
                                              <p class="MsoNormal">
                                              <font face="Arial">This Act shall 
                                              be deemed to come into force on 
                                              the 1st day of October, 1971.</font></td>
                </tr>
              </tbody>
            </table>
          </td>
        </tr>
        <tr>
          <td width="76" height="50" bgcolor="#003366">&nbsp;</td>
          <td width="777" height="50">
            <p align="center">
              </table>
            </td>
        </tr>
