A hospital has been directed to release a patient who has been detained for failing to pay Sh730,000 medical bill.
High Court judge James Makau has said it was illegal for Habib Hospital Limited to detain a patient over non-payment of the bill.
“It is illegal for the hospital to continue detaining the patient. The patient ought to be allowed to return home,” Justice Makau ruled.
The family of Lazarus Oreko had requested that the hospital allow them to deposit Sh200,000 and pay the balance in instalment.
However, the hospital declined, seeking full payment before the patient could be released. Oreko has been in the hospital for three months.
Habib Hospital Ltd has been served with the court order. The facility is expected to file a response ahead of the mention set for November 16.
In October, MPs summoned health stakeholders over increased cases of detention of patients and bodies by hospitals over medical bills.
Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and chief executive officers of all referral hospitals appeared before the National Assembly health committee to shed light on the worrying trend involving private and public facilities.
This followed the decision of Reale Hospital Eldoret to detain the body of Julius Nyerere Odera over a Sh4 million unpaid bill.
Edited by A.N
