Birth centre to reimburse expectant mothers

CLINICAL DIRECTOR of the Labour of Love birth centre in Kingston, Shari Daniels, said officials at the institution were putting plans in place to reimburse expectant mothers who had paid for services, but did not fully benefit because the Ministry of Health ordered the facility closed just over a week ago.

The Ministry said it ordered the birth centre closed because officials repeatedly failed to adhere to guidelines, which stipulated that they must not deliver high-risk pregnancies.

Miss Daniels said last week that money was being put into a trust to pay expectant mothers any difference between services paid for and services rendered or not.

She said the centre used to charge pregnant women $17,000 for prenatal care, delivery and other services. It used to cost $1,500 for the first visit and $1,000 per visit thereafter, but all visits were covered under the $17,000 plan.

According to Miss Daniels, if, based on the number of visits made by an expectant mother, the initial $17,000 would have been fully used, such an individual might not be reimbursed. However, women who have paid and had not benefited would be repaid, "even if we have to sell our assets," she said.

Miss Daniels said the centre was providing assistance to 600 pregnant women when it was closed, but she could not estimate how many would be reimbursed because files and computers had been seized by Ministry of Health officials.

Responding to claims that officials at the centre were converting money paid for services to United States currency, Ms. Daniels said that was being done to repay portions of a US$100,000 loan that the operators had received to start the centre when they received a licence in May 2000. "We have paid back about US$7,000 of it," she said.

Miss Daniels said some of the money would be used to reimburse customers and some would go towards paying the salaries of persons still employed by Labour of Love.

In the meantime, the Ministry of Health said it has been facilitating former patients of Labour of Love by making their files available to private hospitals and doctors.

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