PCEA cleric faults hospitals for exploiting needy COVID-19 patients – KBC

Outspoken PCEA clergyman Rev Godffrey Jomo has appealed for the Government’s intervention claiming hospitals are exploiting needy COVID-19 patients.

The clergyman said many public and private hospitals have taken advantage of the coronavirus outbreak to rip off patients by inflating medical bills.

“As we unite to curb the deadly Coronavirus, it’s unfortunate that hospitals are making a kill by fleecing patients to the last coin,” he lamented.

He said the situation is worse in a majority of hospitals across the Country claiming when one is rushed to hospital, some medics assume they are suffering from coronavirus.
This he said has resulted in hospital managements demanding in excess of Ksh 600,000 in deposit before they can admit a patient.

“More worrying is that the longer you stay in the ICU, the happier the management as medical bills keep spiraling to millions. And even if they know you won’t come out alive, they continue keeping you in the machines for financial gains,” he stressed.

He singled out a case whereby his cousin Nelson Waweru Njukia remained at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s (MTRH) ICU for nine day before succumbing to the virus.

Jomo said the hospital slapped the family with a medical bill of Ksh 637,000 that he had allegedly accrued during the short stint. Jomo noted.

“In total, as a family we spent over Ksh 3.1 million in clearing Waweru’s medical bills and his send off as he had earlier been attended to at Nakuru based War memorial and Evans private hospitals where the family also paid handsomely for the services,” He said.

Rev Jomo has now challenged the Government to come up with measures to regulate hospitals operations and further set a kitty to cater for coronavirus victims from poor families.

“The National Health Insurer (NHIF) should also be financially empowered to enable it cater for medical bills in totality since the present ration doesn’t help the,” he said.

The PCEA cleric maintained that all efforts should be geared towards fighting the virus and addressing its adverse impacts noting that BBI and other non-urgent issues should be shelved at least for now.