Family in agony as Outspan Hospital detains body over Ksh.2 million bill

A family in Kiambagathi, Kirinyaga County is unable to bury their loved one a month after her death over a huge hospital bill that has seen her body detained at the Outspan Hospital morgue in Nyeri.

Beatrice Wanjiru succumbed to lung cancer at the hospital leaving behind a Ksh.2 million hospital bill that her family says it is unable to raise.

At the home of the late Wanjiru, family members are still mourning the death of the family matriarch, but a greater pain has been caused by their inability to bury her.

The reality weighing down on them, neighbours who used to come to comfort them and help with burial plans have since stopped. They do not have a burial date to work with.

“Sisi kama wakazi tumewasaidia, lakini tumefika mahali ni kama tumechoka, sababu ata watu hawakuji wengi,” says one David Kamau.

Another local resident James Migwi says, “Watu walikuwa wanakuja maombolezi lakini wakaona hawapati siku ya mazishi.”

They find themselves stuck after seeking treatment in various public hospitals in both Kirinyaga and Nyeri counties when Wanjiru’s condition got worse they ended up at outspan hospital, a private facility in Nyeri town.

It is there that she died. Efforts by the family to raise funds managing Ksh.700,000 of the targeted Ksh.2 million.

According to Emily Wanohi, the daughter of the deceased, by the time her mother was hospitalised for a month and the body has been in the mortuary also for a month now.

“Wakati alipumzika, bill ilikuwa Ksh.2.5 million. Tume struggle kutafuta pesa hadi saa hii. Alikuwa amekaa hospitali mwezi moja na sasa mortuary mwezi moja,” said Emily.

The hospital says the family owes Ksh.1.3 million and the body is at the hospital morgue until the situation is resolved. The institution’s administrators saying they are waiting for the family to engage them

“We acknowledge we have the body, but we are waiting for the family to come and engage with us because the last engagement we had with them was on 12th of January,” said Jeff Mungai, the hospital’s medical supretendant.

The family maintains that they have no way of raising the money to enable them bury one of their own at home.