Maternity hospital detains patients until they pay up

A New York-based group has filed a lawsuit against a Nairobi maternity hospital which detains new mothers who cannot pay their bills.

The director of the Pumwani Maternity Hospital Lazarus Omondi says it is the only way he can keep the medical centre open.

“We hold you and squeeze you until we get what we can get. We must be self-sufficient,” Omondi said in an interview. “The hospital must get money to pay electricity, to pay water. We must pay our doctors and our workers.