By KT Reporter
TMR Hospital has refuted allegations that it withheld the body of a child who died after sustaining severe injuries in a fall at Greenhill Academy, reportedly over an unpaid medical bill.
Speaking to URN in an interview, Dr Daniel Talemwa, the hospital’s Executive Director, said that the facility never retained the body and that the child had been under close monitoring in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) until he passed on.
Dr Talemwa, who personally participated in the child’s evacuation, explained that the boy arrived in critical condition and required highly specialised ICU care. He noted that the hospital’s ICU rates range between two and four million Shillings per day, with the higher end applying to patients who need advanced interventions such as dialysis.
While some reports indicated a medical bill running up to 150 million Shillings, Dr Talemwa clarified that the amount is significantly lower and that the hospital was working closely with the family to ensure dignity and compassion throughout the process.
“When the story about detaining the body came out on Friday morning, I was actually seated with the father discussing what support they needed. He was equally surprised. We had already drafted a payment plan running until March 2026,” he said.
Before being transferred to TMR, where he spent 21 days in the ICU, the child had initially been admitted at C-Care Clinic in Kireka. His condition deteriorated due to multiple injuries involving the chest, brain, and abdomen, leading to the referral for more advanced care. The grieving parents were unable to speak to the media as they prepared for the burial in Mukono on Saturday afternoon.
Grace Kiwanuka, the Executive Director of the Uganda Healthcare Federation (UHF), said they reached out to TMR and confirmed that the case had been handled professionally. She emphasised that the situation points to the broader challenge of the high cost of intensive care, both in Uganda and globally.
“The nature and extent of the child’s injuries required multiple surgeries, a range of specialists providing round-the-clock care, extensive medications, and critical supplies, most of which are imported. Naturally, this drives up the cost. In private hospitals today, ICU care ranges between 4 and 6 million per day, depending on complexity,” she explained.
Kiwanuka noted that even in public facilities, ICU care remains expensive. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a Ministry of Health analysis estimated the average ICU cost at 3.2 million Shillings per day at a National Referral Hospital, institutions that benefit from subsidies and economies of scale. Private hospitals, she added, do not receive such support and therefore face higher operational costs when managing complex, multi-system cases.
Meanwhile, health-rights advocates maintain that detaining bodies over unpaid bills is illegal. Ruth Ajalo, head of the Strategic Litigation Programme at the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), said courts have consistently ruled against the practice and encouraged hospitals to seek alternative avenues for recovering costs.
“These include pursuing civil remedies or entering into clear, signed payment agreements. CEHURD handled a similar case at TMR during the COVID-19 period, and a payment plan was agreed upon,” Ajalo noted.
For the new case, the exact amount owed remains unclear, but Dr Talemwa confirmed that an agreement has been signed and the family is committed to clearing the bill by March.
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