It's a story worthy of a Nollywood film that is currently shaking the city of Nkwatia, Ghana.

To force a family to pay outstanding bills, a hospital used a rather… radical method. Brace yourselves.

It all started at the Nkwatia public hospital. A patient had been receiving treatment there for several days, but the bill was mounting and the family was dragging their feet about paying. Faced with this reluctance, the hospital staff reportedly decided to escalate the situation with a monumental bluff.

The family received a call from the hospital: the verdict was delivered, cold and brutal. They were told that their loved one had died during treatment. In shock and tears, the parents rushed to the hospital. But there, the administration was firm: it was impossible to see the body or begin any procedures until all medical bills had been paid in full.

Overcome with panic and remorse, the family members scramble, gather the money and pay every penny owed to the hospital.

Once they have the receipt, the family, with heavy hearts, asks to be taken to the morgue or to the deceased's bedside for a final farewell. The staff then escorts them to the treatment room.

But when they opened the door, there was no corpse, no shroud. Instead, they discovered their relative, very much alive, sitting calmly on their bed, enjoying a bottle of Malt as if nothing had happened!

While some internet users are praising the hospital's "trick" to recover its money, others are outraged by the psychological cruelty of this method.

The burning question on everyone's lips: can the family file a complaint?

Legally, falsely reporting a death can be considered serious moral harm and emotional trauma. However, the hospital could defend itself by citing the initial failure to pay.