Kiambu hospital accused of negligence

KIAMBU COUNTY: Kiambu District Hospital is on the spotlight after two children died due to what family members allege was negligence by the medical staff.

Peter Kinyanjui and Salome Wambui, the grandparents of a girl who died after
allegedly going without treatment at Kiambu District Hospital on Monday,
want investigation done claiming the medical officers were negligent. PHOTO:
KAMU MAICHIHIE/ STANDARD

The families of the two deceased girls aged eight and one-and-a-half years are pointing an accusing finger at the medical personnel at the hospital over their sudden death.

Salome Wambui, grandmother to the one-and-a-half-year-old girl, said they were referred to the hospital from Kigumo Sub-district Hospital in Gatundu on Saturday to seek specialised treatment for her grandchild, who had a burn on her hand.

Wambui said once they got to the Kiambu District Hospital, her grandchild was admitted but remained untreated until Monday evening. The situation got worse and she decided to look for a doctor to save her life.

The decision to look for a doctor to attend to her grandchild however angered the medical officer on duty, who allegedly snubbed them, leaving her holding the critically ill baby in her arms.

 ANGRY DOCTOR

“The doctor got angry with me for going to look for him. He asked me whether I was  a doctor to know what a child in critical condition looks like,” Wambui said.

Peter Kinyanjui, the child’s grandfather, said the doctor came to examine the child and allegedly gave some medicine to Wambui to administer to the child.

“A few minutes after the child was given the medicine, she suddenly became weak and died shortly after, leaving us in shock,” Kinyanjui said.

Mabil Aleer, uncle to the deceased eight-year-old girl, has a similar story to tell.

The South Sudanese national said they took their niece to Kiambu District Hospital with a broken leg on Monday morning only for her to die in mysterious circumstances after an injection meant to alleviate the pain was allegedly administered to her by a medical staff.

LEFT UNATTENDED

Aleer said prior to the young girl’s death, they had camped at the hospital from 9am to 4pm waiting for her to be attended to, but all in vain.

He said his niece was in excruciating pain and when the doctor finally came, he allegedly injected the young girl with medication supposed to provide relief from the pain. However, immediately after the jab, the girl became unconscious and died shortly thereafter.

“As a family, all we want is an explanation as to why she died after being injected with that medicine. We want the hospital to come clean on this matter,” Aleer said.

Both families claim services at the hospital are wanting and immediate action is needed to contain the situation before things get out of hand.

However, the hospital superintendent Dr John Kariuki denied knowledge of the two incidents and vowed to carry out investigations.

“I call upon the affected families to provide us with details of the illnesses so we can counter-check for them and ascertain the real cause of death,” he said.

By Kamau Maichuhie, The Standard