Following a public uproar, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has released 250 patients detained over unpaid bills.
The country’s largest medical facility has announced the release of the patients in a statement sent to newsrooms on Tuesday.
The hospital says the decision to discharge the 250 patients has been made following public outcry.
The hospital was placed on the spot after an expose aired by Citizen TV on March 25th, revealed that several patients, especially women were sleeping on the floor after being detained at the facility over unsettled bills.
Some of the patients, including women who had given birth, were locked in one of the rooms for several weeks without enough food and beddings.
A day later, the Ministry of Health released a report showing that 184 patients and 387 dead bodies were held at KNH for non-payment of a bill amounting to Sh6 billion.
The Ministry has formed a special task force to investigate cases of patients detained in various hospitals across the country for failing to pay medical bills.
In a circular, Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache tasked the team to probe nine private and public hospitals.
The nine hospitals include Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, the Nairobi Hospital, the Aga Khan University Hospital, and Mater Hospital among others.
387 bodies detained? Public…
387 bodies detained? Public heath & WHO should investigate this. I do not think KNH has the capacity so store that high number of bodies. What the purpose of detaining them given the fact that large number of people cannot be able to pay their debt.
First off all, I always…
First off all, I always wonder why Kenyan public buildings are in such pathetic conditions in every town! Just paint the buildings! It takes very little to do that. A national public hospital building looks like a remnant building that has gone through smoke! This is a health facility for godssake! Make it look like one. How can someone preside over such obvious ineptitude? It is safe to assume that if these type of simple obvious qualities of a health system go unnoticed my managers, then how do they even go about providing advanced process of treating patients! I would bet that most patients in such institutions die not necessarily of their sickness, but rather lack of it and in many cases improper treatment both physically and emotionally.
Now, the main point, Kenyan media should do more of these expose’ Public officials need to be constantly put on the spot since there’s little to no transparency in Kenyan public systems. If Citizen TV wouldn’t have exposed the dead bodies and starving patients, KNH would still be holding them there. In order for the government to regain public trust they need to bring civility to the public service. It start by stopping corruption.
How about people work in…
How about people work in government offices that are dusty as hell; you would think you are in one of those dusty roads in korogocho. No motivation to clean up your own environment. Curtains half way on the ground since perhaps 1970. Offices with pot holes,no face lift and this is the same government wanting my DNA for Hundama number? Ikae. Shovel it where the sun doesn’t shine.
Ha ha , that is true. Govt…
Ha ha , that is true. Govt building never got a face-lift.
Ruto has 7 billion in hand…
Ruto has 7 billion in hand and the bill is only 6 bn, Why don’t we ask him to pay off the 6 bn and just keep a billion?
Rails and Uhuru have more…
Rails and Uhuru have more than that.
I really dont understand…
I really dont understand wafrika.We seem to know what we should do but somehow,we”possess the inability” to do it…”In this day and age to continue seeing cholera,and other diceases that come from our dirty environment is a shame.It is also ashame that we still have slums,and are proud to have Kibera a the largest slum in africa.
What the heck is going on? In hospitals patients sharing beds,or sleeping in corridors,some arriving there on wheelbarrows…,and now they get detained for not paying. Come on, they are not there to party.
In fact they should pass a law that no patient should be detained for lack of payments. The patient stands abetter change of paying when released.
Where are our think tanks? Lets put the health of our citizens paramount.All these money that has been looted, when collected, should go toward offsetting these hospital bills.
How long has garbage collection been a problem i n Nairobi?Do we really want mzungu to come and show us how to dispose of out thrash?Again I ask, where are the brains that Kenya has been churning out year after year before and after independence? Apparently they are not producing…or making better of their education. We have apresident who is very incapable of containing corruption
Mr president, you ask,”nifanye nini? Hang a few of these corrupt individuals. Thats what you should do.I have been an opponent of killing except for self defense. Here we are defending public wealth. Yes hang them.You solutions dont seem to make adent.