Protest After a Kenyan Student Dies in Canada, Leaves Behind a $517,000 Medical Bill

The death of a Kenyan student in Canada has triggered a debate in the North American nation over the huge medical bill he left behind.

Tevin Obiga, 25, passed away last week at St Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he was receiving treatment for blastomycosis, a fungal infection that affects the lungs.

The fourth-year computer engineering student at the University of Manitoba was admitted to the health facility in mid-January and moved to ICU days later.

Following his demise last week, the hospital slapped Tevin’s family with a medical bill of $517,764 (Sh50 million) for his stay at the health facility.

The huge bill has triggered protests from a section of political leaders in Canada, who are calling on the government to immediately reinstate health insurance for international students.

Led by Manitoba Liberal party leader Dougald Lamont, the leaders want the Canadian government to bring back a program that helped international post-secondary students to pay for their health insurance and healthcare. The program was disbanded by the Progressive Conservatives in March 2018.

“It’s a pretty low price to pay to make sure that students from abroad who study in Manitoba, who bring hundreds of millions of dollars with them, actually can get healthcare coverage when they need it,” Lamont was quoted by Canada’s State broadcaster CBC. 

Nation reports that the family, with the help of members of Winnipeg’s African community, were trying to raise $20,000 to airlift Tevin’s body to Kenya for burial when they received the huge medical bill. 

Tevin was taken to the hospital on January 13th and doctors performed a medical procedure on him two days later, but he never woke up. Four days later, he was moved to the intensive care ward, where he was put on several machines, including a lung bypass one.

Tevin’s death came barely two weeks after his mother Lilian Ndiego was granted a temporary visa to travel to Canada to see her son. Her initial application was denied but the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada approved the second one after “additional information” was provided.