This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
Published on July 4, 2020, a family in Kenya is facing a heartbreaking dilemma as they are unable to bury their loved one due to a substantial hospital bill incurred during his Covid-19 treatment.
Adams Mbugua Kimani, a music producer, passed away on June 27, 2020, while receiving treatment at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. The hospital bill accumulated to Ksh 3.8 million, which the family found difficult to meet.
A family member stated, "We were directed to pay the bill, which we know we are obligated to. He had premonitions over his death as he asked me to take care of the children."
Kimani was diagnosed with Covid-19 on June 13, 2020, while undergoing treatment at Metropolitan Hospital in Buru Buru, Nairobi. He was later referred to Kenyatta University Hospital and then transferred to Aga Khan University Hospital, a private facility.
Government regulations direct that a Covid-19 patient should be interred within 48 hours. However, Kimani's body has stayed at a Nairobi morgue for a week due to the family's inability to pay the hospital bill.
Health CAS Rashid Aman stated that the government was considering covering medical expenses for patients admitted at private hospitals, saying, "We are under very difficult times and they need to be considerate with people affected by Covid-19 and those who end up dying."
As of July 3, 2020, Kenya had recorded 7,188 cases of Covid-19 with 154 fatalities and 2,148 recoveries.
Medical practitioners in protective gear at the Coronavirus Isolation facility in Mbagathi District Hospital on Friday, March 6, 2020.
