The
75-year-old
Marita
Manyore,
who
resides
in
Murambinda
in
Buhera
District
in
Manicaland
province,
has
been
detained
at
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
for
close
to
two
weeks
after
hospital
authorities
refused
to
discharge
her
until
she
made
full
payment
of
her
medical
amounting
to
US$2
200.
Manyore
was
admitted
at
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
on
10
February
2026
under
the
care
of
a
specialist
Physician
after
her
family
sought
medical
assistance
as
she
had
not
been
feeling
well
for
some
time
and
following
a
recommendation
that
she
needed
the
specialist
services
of
a
Physician.
On
15
February
2026,
the
family
requested
authorities
at
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
to
discharge
Manyore
after
noting
that
her
medical
bill
stood
at
US$1
070,
which
would
be
out
of
reach
for
the
family
to
pay
and
would
also
not
be
able
to
afford
to
settle
it
if
the
debt
kept
accumulating.
After
conducting
an
assessment,
where
the
specialist
Physician
noted
that
Manyore
had
recuperated
and
no
longer
needed
special
care,
the
medical
practitioner
proceeded
to
recommend
her
discharge
from
the
hospital
as
she
could
now
be
managed
by
general
medical
practitioners.
But
upon
advising
staff
at
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
about
the
request
to
discharge
Manyore
and
after
making
an
offer
to
pay
US$200
of
the
total
medical
bill
of
US$1
070,
including
making
an
undertaking
to
settle
the
bill
in
two-monthly
instalments
of
US$500
each,
the
woman’s
family
was
told
that
she
could
not
be
discharged
before
making
a
full
settlement
of
the
bill.
On
19
February
2026,
the
family’s
offer
to
make
an
initial
payment
of
US$500
was
once
again
turned
down
as
authorities
at
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
demanded
a
full
settlement
of
the
bill
and
also
advised
them
that
the
total
medical
bill
had
increased
to
US$1
440.
On
25
February
2026,
Manyore’s
family
proceeded
to
pay
US$500
as
part
of
settling
the
hospital
bill
and
also
engaged
Peggy
Tavagadza
and
Tatenda
Sigauke
of
Zimbabwe
Lawyers
for
Human
Rights,
who
wrote
a
letter
to
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
protesting
against
the
authorities’
conduct
of
refusing
to
discharge
the
75
year-old
woman.
In
the
letter,
Sigauke
and
Tavagadza
protested
against
the
conduct
of
the
medical
facility
as
not
only
illegal
but
also
unethical
and
demanded
that
Manyore
should
be
discharged
as
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
would
suffer
no
prejudice
by
promptly
discharging
the
woman
and
recover
outstanding
payments
through
a
payment
plan
as
proposed
by
the
family
or
through
debt
collection
in
the
event
of
failure
to
pay.
Nonetheless,
authorities
at
the
medical
facility
remained
adamant
and
during
a
meeting
held
on
26
February
2026
one
of
the
directors
of
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
reportedly
told
Manyore’s
family
that
the
medical
bill
had
increased
to
US$2
200
hence
they
were
not
going
to
release
her
as
the
US$500
that
had
already
been
paid
as
a
sign
of
commitment
to
servicing
the
debt,
was
not
motivating
enough
for
the
hospital
to
release
the
woman.
This
left
Manyore
with
no
option
but
to
instruct
her
son
Witness
Mavambire,
who
on
Saturday,
28
February
2026,
sued
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
by
filing
an
urgent
chamber
application
at
Mutare
High
Court,
where
she
demanded
an
order
declaring
her
detention
as
illegal
and
for
the
medical
facility
to
immediately
end
her
detention
and
release
her
from
the
hospital.
Through
the
urgent
chamber
application,
Manyore’s
lawyers
argued
that
her
continued
detention
at
Exclusive
Medcare
Hospital
is
meant
to
induce
payment
and
is
in
breach
of
her
constitutional
rights.
Sigauke
and
Tavagadza
contended
that
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.
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
matter
is
yet
to
be
set
down
for
a
hearing
at
the
Mutare
High
Court.