Hospitals should be places that improve well-being, where people feel safe and are free to leave at the end of their treatment. Sadly, this is often not always the case. In some parts of the world, people are detained for months for not being able to pay their medical bills or are refused care when they can no longer pay.
This practice is particularly prevalent in some sub-Saharan countries, but also occurs in Asian countries where there is poor access to affordable healthcare. Hospital detentions contravene several international laws and represent a gross violation of human rights, especially as many detainees suffer abuse during their enforced hospital stay.
