Man gets R5 000 bill intended for another

Damian Damons was billed for transport and treatment he never had. Picture: Supplied

Damian Damons was billed for transport and treatment he never had. Picture: Supplied

Published Jul 9, 2017

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Cape Town - A Grassy Park man is being hounded by a private hospital group for services he says he never received.

Damian Damons received a bill for close to R5 000 from Netcare for an ambulance ride from his supposed home in Kraaifontein to the Tygerberg Hospital.

According to the bill, Damons also received treatment for a gunshot wound during the 40-minute drive.

Damons said he had never been shot and had never lived in Kraaifontein.

The first bill arrived on May 18. By June 12, Damons was asked by Netcare to submit an affidavit stating he was not the same Damian Damons who received services from it. On July 3, Damons’s wife Carlene followed up with Netcare to see if the billing issue had been resolved.

“At this time, Netcare admitted that they knew it was not me as my name and surname are quite common”, said Damons.

A Netcare ambulance very much like the one Damian Damons did not travel in. File picture: Netcare

On July 5, Damons received a reminder that he still needed to settle his outstanding account

with Netcare.

Netcare’s managing director, Craig Grindell, said the company had since apologised to Damons for mistakenly issuing him with the invoice.

“Due to the nature

of the work we do, it is not always practical or appropriate to collect full details of our patients on

the scene of an emergency.

In such situations our priority is to ensure the survival

of the patient by providing the best possible care as quickly and effectively as possible,” said Grindell in response to questions about the slip-up.

Weekend Argus

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