Hospital holds 'dead man' hostage for bill

A private hospital in Saudi Arabia decided to seize the body of a dead Bangladeshi worker until his company pays expenses for medical services he had received before his death, a newspaper reported on Monday.

The hospital in the Western Red Sea port of Jeddah held the body hostage for a few days before releasing it at the request of the health ministry following contacts by his company which is sought for SR65,000 (Dh64,000), Sabq said.

“But the hospital is still refusing to issue a death certificate for the body. This means his relatives in Bangladesh cannot have him repatriated for burial. As a result, the body is still lying in the hospital’s morgue,” the paper said, adding that the company and the dead man’s colleagues were trying to raise funds to solve the problem.

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