Kirinyaga women’s representative Jane Njeri Maina now wants action taken against a local hospital, which had detained a body for the last three months.
The family of Edwin Kariuki Njenga who died in July this year has lived in agony after a hospital in Nyeri refused to release his body for burial.
Njeri, speaking at Kipingoti in Kirinyaga West Sub County during the burial of Njenga said it took the family three months to raise Sh1.1 million for the hospital to agree to release the body
She said the family had to look for other collateral to deposit with the hospital to cater for the remaining Sh700,000, which is yet to be cleared.
“This family has had three months of anguish trying to raise the money in order for the hospital to release the body, which is not right,” Njeri said
The legislature said the hospital should have released the body and given the family time to raise the amount required.
“I don’t understand why some of our hospitals cannot simply obey the law which makes it illegal to retain a body for outstanding treatment fee,” she said
Njeri said she has written to the speaker of the National Assembly Moses Watengula to make sure the law is enforced and action taken against those who are disrespecting it
“I know hospitals use the money for treating and attending to their patients, they are in business yes, but there are particular incidents where they are supposed to act humanely.
You cannot sabotage the family and hold them in ransom for all these months, clinging to the body of their loved ones until they pay the presumed money,” Njeri said
Njeri who is also an advocate of the high court said she has filed many court cases involving families who have their family members detained after treatment or have the bodies of their relatives detained.
“You can imagine the situation, the family has lost their breadwinner, and the hospital instead of understanding the pain with the family, they go ahead and decline to release the body for burial.
I am appealing to our hospitals, you must now understand that you are dealing with the hustler’s government and it is no longer business as usual,” she said
She said the government is in the process of improving the National Hospital Insurance fund and therefore hospitals must exercise patience before the arrangement is finally put in place.
“Those retaining patients and bodies for unpaid bills are going against the hustler’s spirit; they must shape up or face the music,” she warned.
Edward Kariuki Njenga died after a tragic road accident involving a motorbike and was in the Intensive care unit before he died in July