TMR Hospital Withholds Body of Greenhill Pupil Over Shs 150m Bill.

Burial arrangements for Augustine, a Primary Six pupil from Greenhill School who died on November 12, 2025, have been delayed after TMR International Hospital in Naalya, Kampala, declined to release his body due to an outstanding medical bill estimated at Shs 150 million.

Augustine died three weeks after sustaining severe injuries in a fall at his school on October 22.

His body is currently being kept in a funeral home under the hospital’s custody.

According to family representatives, hospital officials indicated that they require at least half of the bill to be cleared before release.

Fundraising efforts are underway among family members, friends and the Greenhill School community in an effort to meet the required amount.

The family had tentatively planned to hold the burial this Saturday in Mukono, but the date may change depending on how quickly the funds are mobilised.

TMR International Hospital has previously been associated with similar situations during the COVID-19 pandemic, when families of the late Aggrey Awori and Kaaya of Kaaya Investments reported delays in accessing their relatives’ remains over unsettled medical bills.

Efforts to obtain comment from the hospital regarding the current case were unsuccessful, as calls to management went unanswered.

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The issue of hospitals retaining bodies over unpaid medical bills has been a subject of public discussion in Uganda.

Designated detention centre

Legal analysts note that courts have ruled that health facilities are not designated detention centres and therefore cannot detain a patient or a deceased person as a means of securing payment.

According to these experts, the legally accepted approach for recovering outstanding medical bills involves obtaining written undertakings from caretakers or pursuing the debt through civil procedures, including seeking payment from a deceased person’s estate.

Professional bodies such as the Uganda Medical and Dental Practitioners Council and officials from the Ministry of Health have previously stated that holding bodies for non-payment is not provided for under current regulations.

Private hospitals, on their part, have told parliamentary committees that high treatment costs—particularly for intensive care—reflect the price of equipment, medicines, specialised staff and operational expenses, especially during periods of heightened demand such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a vigil on Wednesday evening, members of the Greenhill community expressed sympathy and pledged continued support to the family. Representatives who attended said the parents appreciated the assistance offered so far by the school community.

The Greenhill Parents’ Committee is coordinating fundraising across different class groups, with the goal of presenting a consolidated contribution to help the family proceed with burial arrangements once the body is released.