A family in Mt. Kenya has not buried their loved one, more than two months since he died because of unpaid medical bills.
Moses Githinji Munene passed away on 2nd January, leaving behind an unpaid medical bill at the PCEA Kikuyu Mission Hospital. The bill was slightly more than sh. 1.5 million.
The family says that they have managed to pay more than half of the bill, and they are only remaining with a balance of sh 777,718 but the hospital has refused to release the body for burial.
This is despite being ordered by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board Union (KMPDU) ordering the hospital to release the body immediately.
According to KMPDU, the hospital was in breach of code of professional conduct that bars doctors and health institutions from detaining patients for non-payment of bills.
Detention of bodies is a very common occurrence in Kenyan hospitals. This has prompted Nyali MP Mohammed Jichopevu to push for a law stopping this demeaning vice.
As per Article 43 of the Constitution, every Kenyan has a right to the highest attainable standard of health and any detention of patients or bodies is a breach of the law.