Parliament should adopt the proposals by Solicitor General Shadrack Mose to strengthen the Health (Amendment) Bill, 2024.
These reforms would finally make it illegal for hospitals, whether public or private, to turn away critically ill patients in emergencies, and would outlaw the cruel practice of detaining bodies over unpaid medical bills.
These changes are not just sensible; they are constitutional. The right to health is clearly guaranteed in our supreme law, and it should be most evident in moments of crisis. Yet too often, Kenyans in need of emergency care have been left to die because they could not raise a cash deposit. That shameful reality has persisted for far too long.
The government is right to insist that the obligation to provide emergency treatment must apply across the board. The Social Health Authority will soon begin paying hospitals for the first 24 hours of emergency care through the Emergency, Chronic and Critical Illness Fund.
This means hospitals are not being asked to bear losses. They are simply being asked to uphold their professional and moral duty to save lives. All Kenyans will benefit, whether they are members of SHA or not.
Equally important is the proposal to criminalise the detention of bodies. Holding the dead hostage for money is a degrading and outdated practice that causes immense pain to grieving families. It has no place in a humane society.
By adopting these reforms, MPs have an opportunity to restore dignity to Kenya’s health system and reaffirm that every life, rich or poor, deserves protection.
Quote of the day: “All successful revolutions are the kicking in of a rotten door.” —Canadian-American economist and writer John Kenneth Galbraith was born on October 15, 1908
