Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho on Friday waived hospital bills for more than 100 patients at the county's health facilities.
The governor gave the waiver, estimated to be about Sh5 million, in line with the spirit of the .
He ordered the county secretary Joab Tumbo and Health CEC Hazel Koitaba to scrap off the bills.
Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebrations at the Tononoka Grounds, Joho said that was the county government’s gift to the patients.
"The county secretary and health CEC should also make arrangements for the transportation of the patients home," Joho said.
On Saturday, Koitaba said they are still compiling the list of all the beneficiaries, with the number expected to hit 200.
Koitaba said there are 43 health facilities in the county but only 10 of them have the ability to admit patients.
The waiver will be applied to all the 10 facilities that admit patients.
"We have the CGH, three Level 4 and six Level 3 hospitals that admit patients," Koitaba said.
She said before the start of Ramadhan, Joho also ordered the waiver of bills for CGH patients which amounted to Sh5 million.
"The beneficiaries were 96," the Health CEC said.
Waiving of bills for patients at the CGH by the county government has become a tradition in Mombasa.
Joho had taken similar decisions in the past during public holidays.
The CGH is the biggest referral hospital at the Coast and serves the entire region with patients from as far as Lamu and Taita Taveta counties.
There have been cases of patients being detained at the hospital for failing to pay their huge bills.
Patients at the hospital received the news with joy.
Mary Akinyi, who has been admitted at the CGH for two weeks, said her bill had accumulated to about Sh30,000.
"May God bless the governor," she told the Star.