Questions have arisen on whether Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko could have over-reacted when he interdicted several Pumwani Maternity officials, for what he termed as negligence, when he found the bodies of 11 newborns at the hospital.
Nairobi County health bosses have contradicted Mr Sonko’s alleged discovery of bodies of infants stuffed in boxes during what he described as an impromptu visit to Pumwani Maternity Hospital.
STAFF DEFENDED
County health executive Veska Kangogo and chief officer Mahat Jimale on Tuesday defended the facility’s staff against claims of negligence, saying none of the deaths were the result of unusual circumstances.
While on a visit to the referral maternity hospital, the two officials gave a breakdown of how the bodies came to be.
Mr Jimale said the 11 were as a result of an accumulative number of deaths that had been recorded at the hospital between Wednesday and Sunday last week.
“The 11 deaths occurred between Wednesday last week and Sunday, where there were 244 deliveries,” said Mr Jimale.
The governor’s kneejerk reaction begs the question of whether he was properly briefed on the situation at the hospital.
INVESTIGATIONS
The matter also bolstered into the limelight questions on the management and daily operations of the hospital, with many asking if there is a proper budget for operations.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki also ordered the sector’s regulatory agencies to investigate the deaths of the newborns.