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Hundreds of patients detained in Nairobi county hospitals over unpaid bills have been given a reprieve after Governor Johnson Sakaja ordered their release.
Sakaja said the county government will settle the outstanding bills to allow the patients to reunite with their families during the Christmas holidays.
The governor issued the directive on Tuesday when he presided over the lighting of the Christmas tree, an event held annually by the Nairobi city county government.
“I have directed that all persons detained at our county hospitals because of non-payment be released to go home to be with their families this Christmas,” he said.
Sakaja noted that the release of detained patients will not only reduce expenses incurred by the hospitals to cater for them but also create space for other patients in need.
“In many cases. it is even more expensive to cater for them in terms of food etc and patients who need space miss it,” he added.
During the event, Sakaja gave food support for 40 children’s and old persons’ homes for Christmas and urged Nairobians to be givers and remember the less fortunate.
‘Let us love one another, let us be considerate and kind people, let us be our brothers’ keeper. When you give you become a co-worker with God and the more you give the more you receive,” he said.
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Sakaja, this is agood xmas gift for a "selected "few. What we need is a permanent solution to this thorny issue.There should be a minimum fee requirement for all patients,then the government foots the rest.To me saving lives is more important than creating the SGR.If we truly value human life,which by the way cannot be renewed, we should make it apriority for Kenyans to not have to struggle to get medical attention when they visit hospitals,or when they leave them.
May God bless you Sakaja for this bold action. This is a great act of kindness. Most of our family members have been held in these hospitals for months and weeks and it's very sad to lock a destitute person due to unpaid bills. Sickness is something that happens without any preparation and no one prays to be sick. Does this relief include private hospitals?
Detaining recovered ppl must be illegal but it seems patients are poor and enjoy free food and lodging too. Why won't they take off?
Development isn't building monuments but social welfare: edu, health, income, happiness.
@Simama Imara, the hospital don’t allow you to move out. They keep security. We had a case last month of a family member. They hold him and charged him close to 15,000ksh a day for bed in one of the private hospitals in Nairobi. So, patients can’t run away
The hospital across Kenya have become commercial entities with a sole goal of making money out the sick Kenyans. I commend Sakaja for showing mercy upon the patients who can not pay the huge medical bills.