By Rodgers Omondi, Busia
The Busia County Government has dismissed allegations that Busia County Referral Hospital is unlawfully detaining women over unpaid hospital bills, insisting that the facility follows a structured waiver process to assist vulnerable patients unable to settle their medical expenses.
Speaking to the media, Busia County Deputy Governor Arthur Odera said the county government remains committed to ensuring deserving patients receive support through the hospital’s waiver program while at the same time safeguarding the operations of the health facility.
According to Odera, the hospital has since January waived bills for 12 patients, either partially or fully, depending on recommendations from assessment reports conducted by the social welfare department.
“From January, we have waived bills for 12 people and this includes either part or the whole bill depending on the waiver assessment report. Currently, we have 15 people at the facility with pending bills amounting to Ksh 750,000. Those found unable to pay after assessment are released through the waiver process, while those capable of paying are required to clear their bills,” he said.
The Deputy Governor explained that the waiver process involves thorough investigations, including visits to patients’ homes, to determine their financial status before any decision is made.
“We have a waiver process which includes visiting the homes of the affected patients to establish whether it is a deserving case before approval is made. In April alone, the county waived bills worth Ksh 335,000,” he added.
Odera maintained that the hospital requires adequate financial resources to continue offering quality healthcare services, purchase drugs, and maintain medical supplies, warning that failure by patients who can afford to pay would negatively affect service delivery.
“The hospital depends on these funds to buy medicine and other commodities needed for patient care. We cannot waive bills for everyone because that would cripple the operations of the hospital and the entire health system,” he said.
He further cited challenges faced by the hospital in handling patients from neighboring Uganda who often lack proper documentation, making it difficult for them to access Social Health Authority (SHA) services or support from their home country.
“We admit many patients from Uganda, but they do not have proper documentation, making it difficult for them to access SHA or assistance from their country. We also have Kenyans, including minors and adults without national identification cards, which remains a major challenge,” he noted.
The Deputy Governor urged residents to register with the Social Health Authority (SHA), saying the medical cover would help reduce cases of patients accumulating huge hospital bills and being unable to secure discharge from hospitals.
“I appeal to residents to register with SHA and contribute the little amount required so that they can access medical cover. This will greatly reduce cases where patients remain in hospital because of unpaid bills,” he said.
Busia County Referral Hospital medical social worker Videlia Makana defended the hospital’s waiver process, saying only deserving cases benefit after undergoing a comprehensive assessment.
“As a hospital, we conduct thorough assessments to ensure only deserving patients benefit from the waiver program. The report is later presented before the waiver committee before approval is made,” she said.
Makana also revealed that some patients are allowed to pay their bills in installments, although they are only discharged after completing payment agreements. She urged local administrators to help ensure all adults acquire national identification cards to ease access to healthcare services and registration into SHA.
“We continue to receive many patients who are above 18 years but do not have national IDs, yet these documents are important in accessing healthcare services and insurance registration,” she added.
