Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has come to the aid of 110 mothers who were allegedly detained at Mama Lucy Kibaki hospital over unpaid delivery fees.
In a video posted on Tuesday November 4, Sonko announced that the initiative was in response to a request for assistance with medical expenses, following the publication of their story in a local newspaper.
Aside from paying their bills, Sonko revealed that he had pledged to cover their Social Health Authority (SHA) fees, ensuring they have long-term access to free medical services.
“Today marked a significant day for me and 110 mothers who were released from Mama Lucy Hospital after I settled their bills,” he said.
“As a long-term solution, I have committed to covering their SHA fees, ensuring they have free access to medical services,” Sonko noted.
The politician, known for his philanthropy, also revealed that he had provided the detained mothers with a small token of financial support as they left the hospital, although he did not reveal the exact amount given to each mother.
According to reports, four mothers allegedly lost their babies during their alleged detention even as the hospital maintain that it had not detained the mothers.
The hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Fredrick Obwanda, denied the claims of detaining the mothers, noting that the hospital was only protecting its financial interests and adhering to national health policy.
Obwanda, in an interview with a local daily, confirmed that over 100 women were awaiting bill clearance, adding that this was putting about Ksh2 million at risk daily.
He blamed the case of the 110 mothers on their failure to register for SHA, noting that this meant they had to pay cash, which they did not have.
“In seven days, we are talking about losing about Ksh10 million, hence the need for all of us as citizens to do what is right. There is a plan, and the plan is to register for social health insurance,” he noted.
Adding: “The mothers who are claiming we have detained them, that is false. In a normal system, you have nine months of pregnancy to register. But here is a case where you find most of us do not want to register for SHA, but still want to receive the same services.”
The CEO explained that despite a dedicated team going ward-to-ward to encourage registration, some women still refused to register for social health insurance.
Aside from the detention, the mothers had also accused the hospital of poor treatment, claiming that some of them were being left to sleep on cold benches and share beds up to three patients at a time.
