A popular Nairobi hospital has been ordered to release the body of a deceased woman, who was detained for two months over pending bills amounting to more than Ksh3 million. In a ruling delivered on September 23, Justice Nixon Sifuna declared the hospital's actions unlawful, unconstitutional and contrary to public policy. According to the judge, there was no provision in the Kenyan law which granted hospitals the right to detain bodies as security for unpaid bills.
This marks a significant win for Kenyans as the trend of hospitals detaining the bodies of deceased is on the rise. Hospitals are also detaining patients who fail to clear medical bills.
The new ruling however, set a precedent in such cases, allowing patients and families a recorse when their loved ones are detained.
An image of a court gravel Photo CapitalFM The patient in question in this case passed away on August 2 after more than two months of treatment at the hospital.
