HOSPITAL DETAINS MUM (15) FOR DEBT

SITEKI – After spending over 30 days in hospital, a new mother, aged 15 years, has not returned home after giving birth.

This is due to the fact that the minor is being detained at the Good Shepherd Hospital in Siteki. Legally in Eswatini, a child of 15 years old is considered a minor and cannot consent to sex. *Jika, who is said to have given birth inside a kombi, was rushed to the Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital on November 29, 2024. She was admitted to the hospital while medical personnel cared for her baby girl, who is said to have been born prematurely. Notably, Jika gave birth on the day when thousands of emaSwati joined the world in enjoying ‘Black Friday’.

The teenage girl is said to have spent nearly 30 days in the hospital, where she was treated, and her baby was monitored. She was discharged on December 24, 2024, but she has not been able to leave. This is because, upon being discharged, she was told she would have to pay E1 800 for her admission.

On January, 2, 2025, Jika was still in hospital. This means that she spent Christmas and New Year at the hospital. This means that she spent nine days detained at the hospital, prevented from going home, as the facility demanded that she pay the admission debt. However, after the Ministry of Health and the hospital were contacted last Thursday, Jika was informed that she was free to go home. Her father, *Jabha contacted Eswatini News, notifying them  that his daughter has been freed, but since it was late in that day, she could not leave the hospital.

Subvention

The Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital is one of the private facilities that receive a subvention from government, as it also provides basic healthcare to the public. It is one of the major hospitals in the Lubombo Region for public healthcare, alongside the Lubombo Referral Hospital.Before she was freed, her father narrated that she could not return home as she was not allowed to leave the hospital until she settled the bill. She  did not have the money to pay the admission fees to be officially discharged from the hospital. In an interview with Eswatini News, she said: “the security guards are watching me 24 hours a day.”

Jika explained that there was no way she could raise the money the hospital requires, as she is unemployed. This, she said on Tuesday after this newspaper accompanied by Jika’s mother, *Jelita, had visited her at the hospital. Jelita confirmed that her daughter was in hospital and that, although she had been discharged, they were unable to welcome her back home. She explained that this was because the hospital still required payment for her admission to the facility.

While at the hospital on Tuesday, the tight security was evident, particularly along the routes leading to the wards. A security guard asked the reporter and Jelita whether they needed treatment or wanted to see someone. After Jelita explained she wanted to see her daughter, the guard advised that the person should be called to come outside instead. Jelita then called her daughter and asked her to meet her outside. However, Jika was not allowed to bring her baby. Instead, she left the baby inside the hospital ward and met her mother near the gate. While Jelita and the Times of Eswatini reporter were speaking to Jika, security guards stood a few metres away. They made it clear that Jika would not be allowed to leave without clearance.

Conversation

One of the security guards, noticing the conversation between Jelita and her daughter was taking too long, approached them to caution them. He advised they should remain visible to the guards. This came after Jelita stood behind a tree for shade, which the guard found concerning. “Otherwise, they will think you want to escape without paying,” said the guard.

Jika was then asked to confirm why she was not leaving the hospital despite being discharged by a doctor. She explained that the only reason was her inability to pay the E1 800 required for her discharge. This meant that, from the day of her discharge, December 24, 2024, until last Tuesday, Jika had spent an additional week in the hospital against her will.

Since Jika is below the age of consent, which is 18 years, she cannot legally consent to sexual activity under the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act 15 of 2018. It is a criminal offence for a man to impregnate an underage girl. Jika’s mother was asked about the man who impregnated her daughter. She said the matter had been reported to the police in Siteki and that the man is on the run. “I even tried to contact his family, but no one knows where he is,” said the mother. On Tuesday, this publication also reported an incident involving a 16-year-old girl among the new mothers whose deliveries were recorded on January 1, 2025. The young mother is said to be from Mangwaneni in Mbabane.

Violence

One Billion Rising, a global campaign founded by American playwright, author, performer, feminist and activist Eve Ensler, to end rape and sexual violence against women, called for the arrest of the man who impregnated the teenager. It is not only the Good Shepherd Hospital where patients who do not pay are prevented from leaving. This is also said to be a concern in other government facilities.

When Dr Velephi Okelo, the Director of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, was contacted about this, her response was that the Ministry has received reports of patients failing to pay at some public hospitals. However, the management of these facilities has engaged with patients and found amicable ways forward, such as waiving the payment or agreeing on alternative payment methods. “It is the understanding of the Ministry that payment waivers are being given to patients who express the need for them, as long as this is done in a spirit of cooperation,” she stated.

According to information sourced online, in countries such as the United States and South Africa, situations involving patients detained in hospitals for unpaid medical bills are generally handled differently, often with legal and social mechanisms to prevent such outcomes. In the United States, while medical debt is a significant issue, federal laws prohibit hospitals that accept Medicare or Medicaid from detaining patients for unpaid bills.

Many hospitals are said to have financial assistance programmes, and legal recourse is available to patients facing such treatment. In South Africa, public hospitals cannot detain patients for unpaid fees, as healthcare services are subsidised by the government. However, private facilities may pursue legal means to recover debts rather than detain individuals. Both countries also have social services and non-governmental organisations that support vulnerable individuals, ensuring their basic rights are upheld while addressing financial challenges.

These systems underscore the importance of balancing financial accountability with human rights and social welfare. At the time of compiling the report, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent, Phindile Vilakati, said she was yet to get information from the officers at Siteki Police Station.
*Not their real names to protect minor

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