For 30 years, thousands of patients have been treated at the Arkansas Cancer Clinic. And no one was denied treatment due to lack of funds to pay for it, but their debts on unpaid bills haunted Dr. Omar Atik, the owner of the clinic.
Some of his patients owed hundreds of dollars, while others were in debt in the thousands. The Pine Bluff clinic closed in February due to a staff shortage. For several months, Dr. Atik tried to collect money from the unpaid bills of his former patients through a billing company, and then he stopped doing it. “I realized that these people simply do not have the ability to pay,” says Atik. “That is why my wife and I decided together to forgive all the debts of the patients.”
The total amount of debts written off was $ 650,000. The doctor informed all debtors about this: “My clinic decided to forgive all the unpaid balance of your bills. I wish you happiness in the New Year! ” We thought now was the time to do so when the coronavirus pandemic has put a heavy burden on families, businesses and everything else, Atik added. The billing company helped him pay off all patients’ debts in a way that would not negatively affect their creditworthiness.
Newspaper headline:
The doctor forgave debts to patients