​My name is Laine Tsegay Laine, an Eritrean resident living in Uganda. I am starting this petition because no family in our community should face the trauma of hospital detention or lose a child due to an inability to pay for basic medical oxygen...

The Crisis: Mothers and Newborns Held Behind Hospital Doors
​In many medical facilities, the joy of birth is immediately followed by distress. Impoverished mothers who cannot afford their delivery fees or emergency care bills are systematically detained in hospitals alongside their newborn babies. At the same time, critical neonatal care—specifically life-saving medical oxygen—remains inaccessible or unaffordable for infants in respiratory distress.

​No mother or newborn should be held hostage over medical bills, and no child should suffer or die due to a lack of basic, life-saving oxygen.

​Why This Action Is Urgent
​Human Rights Violation: Detaining patients for unpaid medical bills violates human dignity and basic rights.
​Infant Survival: Medical oxygen is an essential treatment for newborns facing respiratory complications. Unrestricted access saves lives immediately.
​Support for Vulnerable Families: Mothers facing extreme financial hardship need compassionate care and emergency aid, not confinement.
​Our Demands
​End Hospital Detention: Call on healthcare leaders, government authorities, and hospital administrators to immediately ban the practice of holding mothers and newborns over unpaid medical bills.
​Universal Newborn Oxygen Access: Ensure every maternal and neonatal unit is fully equipped with reliable, affordable, or subsidized medical oxygen for newborns in need.
​Emergency Support Mechanisms: Establish support systems to assist low-income mothers with essential post-natal healthcare and emergency financial relief.
​Please sign this petition and share it with your network to protect vulnerable mothers and save newborn lives!