The Nairobi Metropolitan Services has formed a committee to investigate management issues at Pumwani Maternity and Mama Lucy hospitals.
This follows recent complaints against the county’s top hospitals by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU).
The NMS intends to conclusively address issues of mismanagement and restore sanity and quality services at the health institutions.
KMPDU secretary general Thuranira Kuagiria has accused the two hospitals of mishandling locum (temporary) doctors.
Thuranira says Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital is notorious for engaging locum doctors and dismissing them without pay and replacing them with another lot.
“There has been a problem at Mama Lucy Hospital because the facility has been having issues year in, year out. The hospital has a shortage of staff and it hires doctors on locum and dismiss them without pay,” Thuranira said.
“That is abuse of doctors and our profession. The leadership at Mama Lucy hospital must go,” he said.
Several of those doctors were last paid in March and have since been dismissed, according to the union.
Mama Lucy and Pumwani Maternity hospitals have – especially in the past two years – made headlines for all the wrong reasons, including poor services, baby theft and mismanagement of staff.
The NMS, which is headed by Maj-Gen Mohamed Badi, wants to confine that notoriety to the past with the formation of the committee to deal with the management shortcomings at both hospitals.
Image: CHARLENE MALWA
On Monday, Health Services director Josephine Kibaru-Mbae said the committee will take a holistic approach in addressing the issues complained of by the union with a view of overhauling the management of the two facilities.
“There is no point in changing individuals within the same system. We need to change the system as a whole to ensure reform. We are urging the public to give us a little more time so that we can reform these institutions,” Mbae said.
She added: “Less than two months ago, the NMS changed the management at Pumwani hospital.”
Image: ./ WILFRED NYANGARESI
Mama Lucy Hospital superintendent Musa Mohammed was defensive, dismissing the union’s accusations as baseless and personal.
Dr Musa said he is yet to receive complaints from doctors.
“When he (Thuranira) claims the hospital’s management is bad, at least compare it with the records of patients visiting the facility and those being treated,” he said.
“I’m a doctor under the union and we are all protected by it. It is really disappointing that the secretary-general of the same union can make such accusations without providing evidence.”
The superintendent explained that the hospital cannot hire doctors without the county’s – in this case – NMS approval.
Musa challenged Thuranira to give the names of the doctors he claimed have been dismissed without payment.