Healed But Held Hostage: Private Hospital Sued For Detaining & Refusing To Release Granny, 75

Private Hospital Sued For Detaining And Refusing To Release 75-Year-Old Patient

A 75-year-old grandmother from Buhera has been forced to take a private medical facility to court after she was allegedly held captive for nearly two weeks, locked in her hospital room as a bizarre and desperate bargaining chip to force her family to pay an outstanding bill.

Marita Manyore, a pensioner from Murambinda, claims she has become a prisoner at Exclusive Medcare Hospital. Medical staff, who just days ago declared her fit for discharge, have now become her jailers. The facility is accused of refusing to open its doors and let her leave until her family pays the full amount of US$2 200 (approx. R40 000). Her son, left with no other option, approached the Mutare High Court on Saturday to demand her immediate release, arguing that her continued detention is a blatant violation of her constitutional rights.

Healed By Doctors, Held By Management

The ordeal began with good intentions. Manyore was admitted to Exclusive Medcare Hospital on 10 February 2026, under the care of a specialist physician, after her family grew concerned about her deteriorating health. The treatment appeared to be successful. By 15 February, the family started to worry about the mounting costs, which had already reached US$1 070 (approx. R19 500). They requested that she be discharged.

The attending specialist physician assessed her condition and agreed. He noted that Manyore had recuperated sufficiently and no longer needed specialised, in-house care, recommending that she could be managed by general medical practitioners at home. However, when the family approached the hospital’s administration to finalise the discharge, they were met with a shocking refusal.

The family tried to negotiate. They offered an immediate payment of US$200 (approx. R3 600) and proposed a structured plan to settle the remaining balance in two monthly instalments of US$500 (approx. R9,100) each. According to court papers filed by her legal team, the hospital administration flatly rejected the offer, insisting that she would not be released until the bill was settled in full.

Bill Balloons As Grandmother Remains Trapped

As the days passed, the situation grew more desperate. The family returned on 19 February with a significantly improved offer, proposing to pay US$500 (approx. R9,100) immediately. It was again rejected. In a cruel twist, the family was also informed that the “hotel costs” had continued to accumulate during the negotiation period, and the bill had now ballooned to US$1 440 (approx. R26,200).

On 25 February, in a bid to show good faith, the family paid the US$500 (approx. R9,100) anyway and immediately engaged the services of 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.”

“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 in their letter.

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 (approx. R40,000). The director allegedly stated that the US$500 (approx. R9,100) already paid was “not motivating enough” for the hospital to release the elderly woman.

Constitutional Rights Vs. Contractual Debt

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.

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.

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.