Dear Claudienne

My husband was admitted to the May Pen hospital in January 2012. He was given a form from his workplace to be filled out by the doctor who attended him. But after leaving the form at the revenue office at the hospital for more than one week, each time he called to find out if it had been signed, he was told that it was not ready.

When he eventually spoke with the doctor, my husband was told that he had to pay $5,000 for the report. He paid the money and the doctor gave him the report.

Since the government said that the health care at the hospital is free, kindly find out from the hospital for me if it was lawful for the doctor to charge for the report.

LN

Dear LN

Tell Claudienne asked the CEO at the hospital to clarify whether the doctor should have charged your husband for the medical report.

According to the hospital spokesperson, your husband requested an insurance report on his condition.

She said that the hospital provides a basic medical report on any patient who requires documentation to take to a facility, and for this there is no charge.

However, in your husband's case additional information was required for the insurance report which the doctor would "provide at his own discretion".

For this insurance report the doctor would set the fee, the spokesperson said.

Good luck.

Dear Claudienne

I have been in communication with the Registrar General's Department about a birth certificate for my relative who lives overseas. However, for a long time the officer at the RGD who is dealing with the matter has not responded to several e-mails I have sent him.

Could you kindly find out from the RGD when my relative can expect to get his birth certificate. He wants to apply for a passport to be able to travel from the USA to the UK.

DMF

Dear DMF

According to the RGD your relative applied for a birth certificate without providing the entry number. Because your relative was born in the 1930s, a detailed form search (manual search) had to be done over a protracted period.

However, the record was eventually located and we note that he has now received the birth certificate.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.