Mulago women hospital accused of detaining mothers over bills

At least seven mothers have accused Mulago Specialised Women and Neonatal Hospital (MSWNH) of detaining them and their newly-born babies over failure to clear their medical bills.

The facility was permitted in 2018 by the government to charge patients and also offer waivers to those who may not be able to afford the bills, which should be around 60 percent of what private facilities charge.

To be specific, some of the mothers, Ms Lydia Namisango and Ms Carol Nakabira, told this publication on Tuesday that they have been under detention since October 11, an allegation which the hospital management denied.

When Daily Monitor visited the hospital on Tuesday,  it discovered that the medical bill for Ms Namisango was Shs1.3m while for Ms Nakabira was Shs1.377m, both for C-section. The hospital had reduced Ms Nakabira’s bill to Shs247,500. 

Information from the facility indicates that the charges for delivering at the hospital range from Shs200,000 (normal birth) to more than Shs2 million, depending on the complications handled.

Ms Namisango’s husband, Mr Mathia Wasswa, said his wife was under hospital detention because they failed to clear Shs1.3m.

He said they arrived at the hospital on October 3 and his wife delivered by C-section. But he said they failed to leave the hospital when they were discharged after four days because of the unpaid bill.

“I took my wife to Kawempe [National Referral Hospital] when she was about to give birth and we spent three days at the hospital without getting help because they were overwhelmed with the numbers [of patients],” Mr Wasswa said. 

He added that his wife was transfered to MSWNH without his consent. 
“Four days after delivery, they discharged her but we were told to wait for the bill. At around noon, they gave us a bill of Shs1.3m. They insisted that she had to pay and she was detained from that day up to now. I was not informed by anyone that MSWNH was for payment,” he said.

Dr Emmanuel Byaruhanga, the executive director of Kawempe Hospital, couldn’t comment on the matter by press time. He asked our reporter to meet him today.

However, Mr Felix Kayihura, the client relations officer at MSWNH, told this publication that no mother has been detained by the hospital. He also said both Ms Namisango and Ms Nakabira have since gone home. 

“I note that all these people are no longer in the hospital; they have been discharged. We have a waiver system. When you apply, the committee sits weekly [to determine the waiver],” Mr Kayihura said.

But Mr Wasswa said Ms Namisango was not released. This newspaper established that Ms Nakabira was cleared and left the hospital on Tuesday.

“But it is not that everyone will be waived. But we take serious note of those patients who have been referred from other facilities. This is a government hospital where people pay, not one which offers free services, it should be known. The facility needs revenue to sustain operations,” Mr Kayihura added.

Ms Jane Namaganda, programme officer at the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), a civil society organisation, has since written to the hospital management warning that the health facility is not a gazetted detention centre.