KMPDU blames Laikipia County Govt for death of two women at Nanyuki hospital

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has blamed the recent loss of the lives of two women at the Laikipia Teaching and Referral Hospital on the Laikipia County Government.

The board says the sorry state of the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital Level 5 contributed to the unfortunate incident.

It has demanded the reinstatement of doctors who were fired in 2019 with the board maintaining the doctors were illegally that their firing was unprocedural.

At the same time, the interdiction of two senior laboratory officers on Friday following the deaths of the two women has not gone down well with the medical laboratory fraternity, which reads malice into the action taken by the county’s health ministry

In a statement to newsrooms, the medical laboratory fraternity expressed dissatisfaction terming it a move to cover up for the real culprits.

The fraternity called on the county government of Laikipia, together with other relevant authorities to “do a proper investigations that will help ease suffering and turmoil in the county and to stop using a single department and employees of that department as a scapegoat, but carry out proper, credible and reliable investigations into this unfortunate incident and take appropriate actions against anyone found culpable.”

The medical laboratory fraternity further claims that the occurrence prior to the deaths is a clear indication of a “very shallow investigation, maliciously done with the intent to cover-up and divert attention from the real cause of what is a very sad and unfortunate death.”

It further says the chronology of events before the unfortunate incident raises “very fundamental questions that would attract the attention of any serious investigators for further probing.”

Phydelis Wachie who served as senior medical laboratory officer and Clement Wambugu, who served as laboratory technologist were suspended on Friday, a day after Laikipia County Health Assembly committee made an abrupt visit.

The hospital has since Monday this week been on the receiving end of criticism following the deaths with reports claiming  health officials were conducting a surprise birthday party for one of the staff members that delayed service delivery to patients who needed urgent medical attention.