Five women who are detained in County hospital in Embu town after failing to raise their maternity bills are appearing to the government to intervene and have the set free.
The five who were admitted in that private hospital due to the ongoing doctor’s strike early this month are un able to foot their bills which has escalated to ksh 400,000.
The young mothers who have since recovered and ready to join their families back at home are sharing two beds with their four babies in a small room in the hospital basement.
Speaking to the pressmen one of the victim Naomi Kareche who delivered her baby through operation and later the baby died due to complications said she was neglected by her husband and family members after realizing that her bills had escalated to ksh 76000.
Kareche said she has no one to turn to after her husband abandoned her and if the government will not intervene and have here released she will be detained in the hospital in her life time.
Cathline Wanja a mother of one who was admitted in the same hospital three weeks ago and had a normal delivery said on learning about her bill of Sh 70, 000 her husband who used to visit her frequently disappeared without saying a word and he had never come back. Director County medical hospital Robert Njagi said since the doctors downed their tool he has been running the facility at high loss.
Njagi said has been waving some bills from poor and venerable mothers who are not under NHIF cover. He said the hospital was un able to handle the big number patients who are flocking there following the ongoing national doctors strike.
Njagi disclosed that only last week two women who were admitted in the hospital maternity with complications and gave birth through operation escaped with their young babied with a bill of ksh 70,000 each.
The director further noted that the hospital has an out sanding doubt of ksh 700,000 after mothers who have been realized with a signed agreement to pay up their remaining bills defaults.
He appealed to the government and Embu county leadership to intervene and clear the pending bills and have the women set free to go and participate in the ongoing voter’s registration.