Hospital detains body of doctor who died of Covid-19 over Sh18 million bill

Nairobi Hospital is detaining the body of a doctor who died at the facility in January of Covid-19 over an unsettled bill that amounts to Sh18 million.

Dr Lincoln Khasakhala who was a doctor at Nairobi West Hospital and lecturer at the University of Nairobi, died in January, leaving his family with the enormous bill.

He was rushed to the hospital in July 2021 while unconscious and was admitted to the HDU before being moved to the ICU, where he spent two months.

Khasakhla was later moved back to the HDU, then the general ward where he stayed in a coma vigil state until he passed away.

According to his family, the hospital bill had accrued to Sh22 million by the time he died.

One of Khasakhala’s employers, the Nairobi West Hospital, helped the family pay Sh2.9 million of the bill however, the other employer, the University of Nairobi declined to join in settling the hospital bill.

According to the institution’s corporate affairs office, they are not liable for the patient’s bill, since they were not informed when Khasakhala was admitted to the health facility.

Furthermore, the university said their staff need to get a special request and get permission to be admitted to hospitals not referred by the institution.

“For you to go to a private hospital not referred by us, you must get a special request and get permission to be admitted there. There’s no way we are liable for this,” the institution said.

Nairobi Hospital has written to the University of Nairobi requesting the institution to settle the bill but the university insists they should not be involved in the matter.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has also tried to intervene in the matter and tried to bargain for Khasakhala’s discharge from the hospital when the bill was still Sh7 million but the hospital refused to yield.