This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
Since 2014, Nakuru Level 5 Hospital has become a temporary home for several patients who have refused to leave despite being discharged and having their medical bills waived.
Among them is Viena Khayema, a 90-year-old Rwandese national who was admitted to the hospital in November 2014 after suffering pelvic bone injuries in a tea plantation in Kericho. Despite being discharged in November 2015, Khayema has chosen to stay at the hospital, citing a lack of a comfortable place to live.
Khayema's story is not unique, as several other patients have also refused to leave the hospital. Milka Njeri, a 32-year-old woman, has been living at the hospital for the past six years after being admitted to deliver but developing complications. Her medical bill of Sh20,630 was waived, but she still chose to stay.
The hospital's administration has revealed that they have been housing about 10 patients who have refused to leave even after being discharged. The hospital superintendent, Dr Joseph Mburu, attributed this to various reasons, including family issues and a lack of a comfortable place to live.
Dr Mburu explained that the hospital cannot force discharged patients to leave due to ethics-related issues. He added that the hospital spends an average of Sh30,000 per month to keep a patient at the hospital, with extra expenses incurred in terms of health workers to monitor them closely.
At the psychiatric ward, there are about 10 patients who cannot trace their families, relatives, or friends. Among them are patients from Tanzania and Burundi.
Dr Mburu emphasized that the hospital is undertaking a survey to help improve its services and address the issue of patients refusing to leave the hospital.
