A 75-year-old woman is suing a private hospital in Mutare, alleging she has been held for nearly two weeks to force her family to pay an outstanding US$2 200 medical bill.
Marita Manyore, a resident of Buhera District, filed an urgent application at the Mutare High Court through the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), arguing her continued detention is illegal and a violation of her constitutional rights.
Manyore was admitted to Exclusive Medcare Hospital on February 10. Although her attending physician agreed she was fit for discharge five days later, hospital management refused to release her until her bill, which then stood at US$1 070, was settled in full.
The family's legal team says the hospital rejected an initial US$200 payment and a proposal to settle the remaining balance in installments.
By February 19, the bill had increased to $1 440 as the facility continued to charge for her stay.
Despite a US$500 payment made by the family on February 25, the hospital remained adamant.
During a meeting the following day, a hospital director reportedly told the family the bill had reached US$2 200 and that the $500 payment was not “motivating enough” to release the elderly woman.
“The hospital's actions cannot be justified,” Manyore stated in her court submission, adding that a contractual dispute does not grant the institution the right to violate her fundamental freedom of movement.
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Lawyers Peggy Tavagadza and Tatenda Sigauke, representing Manyore, described the detention as “unethical and unlawful”.
They argued that the hospital could recover the debt through civil action or a payment plan rather than holding a patient captive.
The urgent High Court application, filed on February 28 by Manyore’s son, Witness Mavambire, seeks a court order declaring the detention illegal and compelling the hospital to release her immediately.
The matter has not yet been scheduled for a hearing.
