Grieving Kenyan families may soon find justice in law as Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina champions a new bill that aims to stop hospitals from detaining dead bodies over unpaid medical bills. The proposed law seeks to criminalize a practice that has long been criticized as exploitative and traumatic.
Highlights:
- Bill No. 56 of 2024 aims to criminalize the detention of corpses in hospitals.
- Jane Njeri Maina tabled the Health Amendment Bill in Parliament on June 4.
- The bill targets cases where families cannot afford to pay medical bills.
- If passed, hospitals will be prohibited from withholding deceased patients.
- Njeri says the practice is inhumane and adds pain to already grieving families.
Main Story:
Kirinyaga Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina has introduced a bold proposal in Parliament seeking to outlaw the controversial practice of detaining bodies in hospitals due to unpaid medical bills. The Health Amendment Bill, No. 56 of 2024, had its first reading in the National Assembly on Wednesday, June 4.
In a statement posted on her official X account, Njeri said the bill is meant to address a long-standing injustice affecting many poor and grieving families in Kenya.
“As the sponsor of the bill, I am seeking to criminalize the detention of dead bodies by hospitals due to non-payment of accrued medical bills,” she declared.
Hospitals across Kenya have often withheld bodies of deceased patients as leverage to pressure families into settling medical debts. This has led to heartbreaking scenes of families unable to bury their loved ones, sometimes for months, due to outstanding hospital bills.
Njeri’s bill is rooted in the belief that compassion should prevail, especially during moments of loss. She argues that families already burdened by grief should not be subjected to additional emotional trauma and financial strain.
If passed into law, the Health Amendment Bill will make it illegal for any medical institution to detain the body of a deceased patient over unpaid bills, especially in situations where the family demonstrates financial inability.
The bill would provide legal protections to bereaved families and set clear guidelines for hospitals, ensuring the right to a dignified burial is not tied to one’s economic status.
The proposal is gaining attention as part of a broader conversation about ethical healthcare practices in Kenya. Activists and civil society groups have previously condemned the detention of bodies, calling it a violation of human rights.
By pushing this legislation, Njeri joins growing calls to reform the healthcare system, ensuring it upholds dignity not only in life but also in death.
