Two Nanyuki hospital employees interdicted over negligence after two women died while awaiting treatment

Two senior laboratory officers at the Nanyuki Teaching and Referral Hospital in Laikipia County have been interdicted for negligence following uproar after two women died while waiting for treatment at the facility while they were attending a birthday party.

Phydelis Wachie, who served as Senior Medical Laboratory Officer, and Clement Wambugu, who served as Laboratory Technologist, will step aside until investigations are completed.

Health CEC Rose Maitai said the hospital management has gone ahead and written to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to probe any criminal liability on the two workers for further legal action.

Maitai admitted that there was a birthday celebration held at the facility, saying the two absconded duty to attend the party thereby leading to the deaths of Halima Hassan and Jane Njoki.

“We have carried out our investigations and it has indicated that there was a bit of laxity and rudeness to patients by two of our staff and we have interdicted them,” said Ms. Maitai.

“There was a birthday party that happened in the department, and from where we sit there’s really nothing wrong with having a birthday party, the only mistake that the staff did is to halt service delivery in the name of celebration.”

In addition, three more staff members at the hospital have also been interdicted over integrity issues.

Peter Fredrick Mwenda (Community Oral Officer) was a serial absentee from work; Michael Makau (Radiographer) has been soliciting money from patients; and Mwangi Muturi (Otho Trama Technician III) was found guilty of conducting unauthorized clinical diagnosis and soliciting money from the patients.

UTEPETEVU HOSPITALINI NANYUKI:
Wataalamu wawili wa maabara wasimamishwa kazi kwa muda
Baadhi ya wakazi waandamana katika hospitali ya rufaa ya Nanyuiki
Wagonjwa wawili wamefariki katika hali ya kutatanisha NTRH#SemaNaCitizen pic.twitter.com/VPsC3aDQqi

— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) June 4, 2021

The statement from the hospital management comes a day after a section of Laikipia County residents held a demonstration demanding answers on the death of the two women.

58-year-old Halima Hassan was taken to the hospital with high blood pressure but failed to receive the required attention since the nurses were organizing a surprise birthday party at the laboratory.

Her daughter Sophia said the nurses asked them to wait for 5 minutes to be attended to, only for it to turn into an over 30-minute wait leading to the death of her mother.

24-year-old Jane Njoki died due to excessive bleeding after giving birth.

Her husband, Ibrahim Mohammed, claimed that they went to donate blood to save her life and even bought medicines from outside the hospital, but she was not attended to since the nurses said they do not work on holidays.

After hours of waiting, Mohammed says, they came to learn that operations in the hospital were running slowly due to a surprise birthday party that was being conducted at the laboratory.