By Nasser Kasozi Akandwanaho
Mrs. Caroline Nasaka has dragged St Francis Nsambya hospital to Court, demanding a compensation of Shs200M over alleged illegal dentition. Through her lawyers the Newmark Advocates Nasaka has served St Francis Nsambya Hospital with a notice of ‘Intention to Sue’.
In a notice dated June 30, which was seen by the Homeland Newspaper, Nsambya hospital has allegedly unlawfully detained and imprisoned Mrs. Nasaka from their premises since March 27, because of her alleged failure to pay the outstanding hospital bill of over Shs3.9m.
In the notice, Mrs. Nasaka says that she was admitted to the hospital on March 24, after getting complications in her pregnancy, which resulted into an operation, where she unfortunately lost her only child.
She was discharged in March 27, was obliged to pay a sum of Shs3, 932,300.
“Her mother Mrs. Nanteze had prior to the operation made an initial deposit of Shs250, 000 and following the discharge, she made everything possible to clear the outstanding bill which included selling off all her livestock, engaging different family members to save the situation but all did not go well and she remained with an outstanding balance of Shs2, 182, 300,” reads part of the notice.
According to the notice, ever since the patient was discharged, she has been prevented against her will from leaving the hospital premises in Regina Ward as a consequence of failure to pay the dues.
“She has been unlawfully incarcerated by your hospital administration to the extent that she has not seen the light of the day since she was admitted and discharged in the same place where she lost her child, which has made it suicidal to her life,” the notice adds
She wants the hospital to pay her Shs200m as compensation for the emotional pain, stress and mental anguish she has suffers in the past three months.
“Your actions are outrageous, archaic, barbaric, defeating of reason and a clear violation of our client’s constitutional rights of movement and liberty, freedom against torture and inhumane treatment,” the notice adds.
The Newmark Advocates reminded the hospital administration that the hospital is not and has never been a gazetted detention center and that they had no right to curtail their client’s freedom of movement,
“You are reminded to include our legal fees Shs10m in addition to the Shs200m compensation demand by our client and failure to do so in five days will force us to invoke more legal stages,”
Efforts to get a comment from Nsambya hospital was futile as there known phone call did not go through.
