An Arkansas doctor decided to clear the debt for 200 of his cancer patients before he closed the doors to his clinic in December of 2020.
Doctor Omar Atiq,60 is an oncologist and the founder of the Arkansas Cancer Institute in Pine Bluff.
He opened his doors in 1991 and says during the pandemic he watched some of his patients struggling to pay their bills so before he closed his clinic he decided to clear over $650,000 worth of debt.
He sent a letter to his patients right before the Christmas holidays saying, “The Arkansas Cancer Clinic was proud to have you as a patient. Although various health insurances pay most of the bills for majority of patients, even the deductibles and co-pays can be burdensome.”
“The clinic has decided to forego all balances owed to the clinic by its patients. Happy Holidays!”
Atiq had been open for 29 years and said,
“They’re like our extended family. There’s no biggest honor, there’s no higher honor than to serve as a physician,” said Atiq. “And if I have been blessed to be able to help a little then I’m glad for it.”
Dr. Atiq still practices as an oncologist, focusing on head, neck and lung cancer, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
