A man living in Guelph on a visitor's visa was relieved to receive a negative on a recent COVID-19 test, but says he was surprised to get a $359 bill for the test.
It was a clerical error, says Guelph General Hospital.
Xiaojie Rong, 64, retired from his work in China and moved to Canada three years ago while his daughter went to school in Guelph.
Rong, who sometimes goes by the English name John, has been volunteering over those three years for Mary Rife, who has continued the charitable work of her father Bob McNeish, known for years as ‘Biker Bob’ on Arkell Road, refurbishing and selling bikes for charity.
McNeish died in January of 2018, but the operation has continued on under Rife’s leadership and this year recorded its best year of sales ever.
During an interview Friday, Rife said three years ago Rong passed by the home on Arkell Road near Gordon Street and saw the dozens of bikes for sale on the front lawn.
In the best English he could muster at the time, Rong asked Rife if she fixed bikes and asked if he could learn.
“Then he said 'if you teach for free, I will work for free,'" said Rife of her first encounter with Rong.
Over the past three years Rong has refurbished countless bicycles, which are sold with proceeds going to the Stephen Lewis Foundation, which supports community-based organizations in fighting AIDS in Africa.
Because supplies of new bicycles were scarce in retail stores during the early days of the pandemic, Rife said the operation had a record year, selling more than $30,000 in bikes from the front lawn.
“If you figure they sell for an average of $80 or $100, that’s a lot of bikes,” said Rife.
She noted the sales were only possible because of the generosity of Guelphites because every bike they receive is donated and the time to fix them is donated as well.
“For the last few years, (Rong) has been coming four to five hours a day, five or six days a week,” said Rife. “He’s unstoppable.”
Along the way Rong has improved his English and Rife said he now speaks ‘fluent bicycle.’
When he lived in Beijing before he retired, Rong worked as a teacher and an magazine editor.
“In Beijing there are a lot of bicycles,” said Rong during the interview Friday. “I had no car in Beijing. I (would) ride a bike.”
Rong said he has always been a handyman and was interested in learning how to fix bicycles as something to do with his time after he came to Canada.
“When I fix the bike I am very glad. If I can’t fix it I am very sad,” said Rong.
Earlier in the summer, Rong was not feeling well and as a precaution Rife took him to the COVID-19 Assessment Centre in Guelph to be tested.
“If John hadn’t gone to get tested I don’t know if I would have allowed him to come back because then I am putting the public at risk. We did this to be safe, to keep Guelph safe and we thought it was free,” said Rife.
The test came back negative, but shortly afterward Rong received a bill for $359 from the Guelph General Hospital for the testing.
“For customer safety, for our safety we needed a test,” said Rong. “But then the test cost too much. If it was $3 or $30 it’s okay.”
Because Rong is not working and on a fixed budget, and because she was the one who took him, Rife said she paid the bill.
“There should have been a sign up or something,” said Rife. “Obviously they had to ask for the OHIP card and he doesn’t have one. They should have said right there if you’re not covered under OHIP there will be a charge. They didn’t. There was no indication there would be a charge.”
Rife said she is concerned that the public will be in more danger if people who don’t have OHIP decide to not get tested because of the cost.
“I think $359 is exorbitant for any new person coming to Guelph. I can’t imagine a migrant worker or anybody paying that, so they are not going to get tested. That puts you at risk, that puts me at risk,” she said.
Rong said he hopes Rife will be reimbursed.
“I wish the hospital could return the money to Mary. I hope so,” he said.
On March 25, the Ontario government announced that COVID-19 testing would be available at no cost to people who do not have OHIP as a measure to slow the spread of the disease.
Reached by email late on Friday, Guelph General Hospital vice-president Gavin Webb told GuelphToday that the finance department identified an issue a few weeks ago.
“Some patients who had a COVID test at the Assessment Centre have received bills in error,” said Webb. “They are in the process of going back and correcting the erroneous bills, and also correcting them as patients call in.”
Rife will be reimbursed the money she paid for Rong's test.
