By Shadrack Nyakoe
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has ordered the immediate release of all patients held in Nairobi County hospitals over unpaid medical bills worth over Sh1 million.
Sonko has directed the Nairobi City County Health CEC Mohammed Dagane to ensure all the patients who are unable to settle their medical bills in County hospitals are released unconditionally.
The Governor said the move is part of marking the Good Deeds Day that was celebrated on Sunday in the country.
“As a good gesture, I am directing my CECs of Health and Finance to devise ways of covering the costs of patients held at our medical facilities due to lack of fees. I am therefore ordering the immediate and non- conditional discharge of the patients at Mbagathi and at Mama Lucy Hospitals. The outstanding debt for all of them is just over Sh1 million,” Sonko said.
Speaking during Good Deeds day celebrations held along City Hall Way, Sonko directed his Health executive Mohammed Dagane and Finance CEC’s Winfred Kathangu to devise ways of covering the costs of patients who will be released due to lack of fees.
Dagane has said following the directive by the Governor the patients will be released to join their families unconditionally.
“We will fully implement the directive by the Governor and so far we have released about 50 patients from Mbagathi and Mama Lucy hospitals and the process is still ongoing,” Dagane said.
Cheerful David Mutunga one of the patients released thanked Governor Sonko and said that his reward will only come from God.
“I was only praying to God and a miracle has happened, I was wondering where I would get Sh180, 330. I real thank governor Sonko ” he said.
Meanwhile Sonko has announced that as the Good Deeds Day Ambassador in Kenya, he will host the Good Deeds Africa Regional Conference in Nairobi in August 2019.
He appealed to organizations involved with volunteerism to participate in the event and share their successes, challenges and lessons learnt, in order to promote volunteering in Kenya.
“The spirit of Good Deeds is that if people think good, speak well and do well, the circles of goodness will grow in the world. I also urge the private sector to embrace Good Deeds because, as they say, “Doing good is good business”,” he said.
Sonko has in the meantime indicated that the Sonko Rescue Team will continue to offer free services to needy members of the society.
“We have helped victims of fire to rebuild their homes, ensured treatment for deserving patients, sank many boreholes and even sponsored our country’s national football team when it needed support. Importantly, we have also helped to reform many of our youths from lives of drugs and crime. Recently, we were in Pokot and Turkana where we distributed tonnes of relief food to hungry people in these areas that have food shortage due to drought,” he added.