Innocent Sibonginkosi Ncube | Zim GBC News
A 75-year-old grandmother from Buhera has taken a private medical facility to court, alleging she was held captive in her hospital room for nearly two weeks as a bargaining chip to force her family to pay an outstanding bill that ballooned to US$2,200 while she was detained.
Marita Manyore, a pensioner from Murambinda, claims she has become a prisoner at Exclusive Medcare Hospital despite being declared fit for discharge by attending doctors.
The facility is accused of refusing to open its doors and let her leave until her family pays the full amount, with her son approaching the Mutare High Court on Saturday to demand her immediate release on constitutional grounds .
The ordeal began on 10 February 2026, when Manyore was admitted under the care of a specialist physician after her family grew concerned about her deteriorating health. By 15 February, the family started worrying about mounting costs, which had already reached US$1,070. They requested discharge .
The attending specialist physician assessed her condition and agreed, noting that Manyore had recuperated sufficiently and no longer required specialised in-house care, recommending she could be managed by general practitioners at home.
However, when the family approached hospital administration to finalise the discharge, they were met with a shocking refusal .
Desperate Negotiations Rejected
The family tried to negotiate. They offered an immediate payment of US$200 and proposed a structured plan to settle the remaining balance in two monthly instalments of US$500 each. According to court papers, the hospital administration flatly rejected the offer, insisting she would not be released until the bill was settled in full .
As days passed, the situation grew more desperate. The family returned on 19 February with a significantly improved offer, proposing to pay US$500 immediately. It was again rejected.
In a cruel twist, the family was informed that “hotel costs” had continued accumulating during the negotiation period, and the bill had now ballooned to US$1,440 .
Legal Intervention Defied
On 25 February, in a bid to show good faith, the family paid the US$500 anyway and immediately engaged Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). Lawyers Peggy Tavagadza and Tatenda Sigauke fired off a stern letter to the hospital, demanding Manyore’s immediate release and labelling the detention as “illegal and unethical” .
In their letter, the lawyers argued that the facility would suffer no prejudice by discharging Manyore and recovering the outstanding balance through a payment plan or debt collection measures if necessary .
“The continued detention of the elderly and vulnerable Manyore at a place where she is currently not being treated but is accruing additional costs, means that she will not be able to get out of that place,” argued Sigauke and Tavagadza .
Despite the legal letter, the hospital’s directors remained defiant. During a tense meeting on 26 February, a director reportedly told the distraught family that the situation had worsened. The medical bill had now skyrocketed to US$2,200.
The director allegedly stated that the US$500 already paid was “not motivating enough” for the hospital to release the elderly woman .
High Court Application Filed
Left with no other choice, Manyore’s son, Witness Mavambire, filed an urgent chamber application at the Mutare High Court on Saturday, 28 February.
The application seeks a court order declaring his mother’s detention illegal and forcing Exclusive Medcare Hospital to release her immediately .
Through the urgent application, her lawyers argue that her continued detention is intended to induce payment and constitutes a breach of her constitutional rights. They further contend that detaining an elderly and vulnerable woman at a facility where she is no longer receiving active treatment, while costs continue to accumulate, effectively traps her in an escalating debt cycle .
In the application, Manyore expresses gratitude for the actual medical treatment she received.
“Manyore, who expressed gratitude to Exclusive Medcare Hospital and the attending medical doctors for the treatment and services rendered to her, argued that the contractual obligations she has with the medical facility cannot support the violation of her fundamental rights to continue unabated,” the court papers state .
A Disturbing Trend
The case highlights a terrifying trend where patients are treated as collateral for debt. The matter is awaiting a date for hearing at the Mutare High Court .
Seemingly this strategy is being used by most hospitals, including Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo.
A week ago, the accounts department at the biggest referral health centre refused to release a young teen who had undergone an abdomen operation before payment for the bed and food was settled.
This was regardless of the fact that the parent to the young teen had purchased basically everything needed for the operation, from different size needles, strapping, sutures, betadine, theatre spirit, vials, catheters of different sizes, and several other medication used by the doctors.
The total bill used to source these was close to US$300.
The patient had been paying consultation fees of US$12 every seventh day from October last year, being monitored for infection before the operation could be performed.
The parents had to seek the audience of Professor Dr Solwayo, who stressed that it was against hospital policy to detain patients when they had been discharged despite the debt incurred.
Part of the story by NewsChart Media
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