The High Court has ruled that hospitals cannot detain patients to force them to pay medical bills.

In his judgment against The Labib Hospital, Justice Lawrence Mugambi said that holding onto a person who has been treated and fully recovered is unreasonable, unfair, and a punishment.

He awarded Harman Kamau Kinoru, a carpenter, Sh800,000 for the anguish he suffered in 2021 at the hands of the city hospital.

The Judge was of the view that any detention without the blessings of the law is illegal.