[Here is a silly experience I had yesterday.

Earlier this year, my 84 year old mother started feeling dizzy. She went to the doctor who gave her medicine but she did not feel better. Even after a 2nd visit to the doctor she was still not right. So I took her to a specialist because we thought something was wrong with her inner ear and her balance. The specialist wanted a CAT scan because he suspected there might be another cause – a stroke. So she had the CAT scan and it turned out that she had suffered about 5-6 small strokes and these had affected the part of her brain which deals with her balance. He said that the brain often is capable of repairing or bypassing damaged areas and we should leave it for a month or two and see if the dizziness goes away. And it did. That was 4 months ago.

Earlier this week, my mother complained that suddenly she was feeling very tired. One evening she reported a sudden dizzy spell which went away. Then yesterday afternoon she phoned to say that she’s feeling very weak, and she is feeling “weird” in her head and she can’t walk properly. The doctor was fully booked. I wondered if she was once more having small strokes or something of that sort. So I phoned the specialist and he said I should take her to casualties immediately.

So off we dashed to Flora Clinic’s Casualties department late in the afternoon. So we get there, and a black guy at reception greeted us, and said that my mother could go in immediately. He asked if she had been there before and I said yes. So he went on to the computer to look up her records. He then came back to me very apologetically and informed me, that I have a credit problem, and that my mother cannot be treated in casualties unless I first immediately settle the bill for R4,617! (Take note, it was 6pm in the evening).

I told him this could not be the case. I don’t owe Flora Clinic any money. Can he tell me what date it is for, because she was in there, just over a year ago, for an operation on both her hands – but that was paid up.

He comes back to me, and says that yes, the money I owe is outstanding from November 2005, and yes, it is for that operation on both her hands. The bill was not paid.

It is after 6pm in the evening, I can’t go and find the medical aid to query this with them. I tell him that I am sure that all the bills for last year’s operation were indeed paid and I have not received any statements from Flora Clinic all year. I had paid R2,000 up front, and the Medical Aid had settled the rest.

The black guy says he will phone his supervisor. So he phones his supervisor and comes back to me, and says he is sorry, but I must pay the bill – now.

So what can I do? They’re busy doing blood tests and ECG’s on my mom, so I pull out my credit card and I pay them R4,617.

By 10pm that evening, they have done their tests, analysed the results, and they discharge my mother saying that its more a case of dehydration than anything else. So I pay another R350 for the actual visit.

This morning I phone the Medical Aid and they tell me that the R4,617 was paid a year ago. I had paid R2,000 and they had paid R2,617 on the 23rd October 2005.

I phone Flora Clinic’s accounting section and a white woman answers. I tell her the story. She looks on the computers and says yes, indeed, the bill was fully settled last year. She says she will refund me the full amount. Then she remarks that the black guy who had erroneously forced me to pay, had in fact, been the source of other problems too, and that if he had just gone and looked at other details on their computer system, he would indeed have seen that the amount had been paid!

I am thinking of writing a note to the person in charge of Flora Clinic, because this, to put it mildly, p*sses me off. I get to lose money in bank charges, etc – all because of some buffoon on their staff. Jan]