Women and their children detained at Muhima Hospital in Nyarugenge District due to unpaid bills have expressed distress over the conditions they are living in.
The issue of patients being held hostage by hospitals across the country due to unpaid bills for services received is not new, particularly at Muhima Hospital, where this time, eight individuals have been identified as being affected.
They stated that they are deeply concerned about their well-being and that of their children, as some of them have gone more than three days without any food.
One parent said, “I came to the hospital with a two-month-old child for treatment, and they charged me 250,000 RWF, but I truly have no means to pay. The child has now been here for four months and is six months old. He has started eating solid food, but because we have nothing, we are starving.”
Others expressed worry about their children having to go naked because the clothes they brought when they came to give birth no longer fit them.
Another parent added, “I came to the hospital on February 12 to give birth. I delivered the baby, and now he has grown so much that the clothes I brought have become too small, and he is now left naked.”
These parents say that those who are unable to pay are placed in a room where they are not allowed to go outside, and even if they do, they are not permitted to leave the hospital premises.
They also expressed frustration that even when they receive donations from good Samaritans, they do not receive the full amount as they should.
However, the management of Muhima Hospital has denied these claims.
The head doctor at Muhima Hospital, Theogene Rivuzwe, stated, “For those with identification cards, we allow them to make a written agreement on how they will gradually pay the money they owe. However, the problem is that when we ask them for their IDs, they refuse to provide them.”
At the end of 2016, the Director of Muhima Hospital, Dr. Ndizeye Ntwali, informed IRIBA NEWS that since 2014, the hospital had incurred losses due to unpaid bills amounting to over 10 million RWF.
He said, “Every patient who comes to us is treated and given medication according to their illness. We take care of women who come to give birth as part of our responsibilities. The problem arises when it comes time to collect payment.”
That year, the Ministry of Health (Minisante) condemned such practices, stating that it had never issued instructions to hospitals to detain patients who could not pay after receiving treatment.
