Outrage as the sick share beds in crowded Nyahururu County Referral Hospital
When Mr Simon Mwangi’s brother was involved in an accident on the Ng’arua-Nyahururu highway, frantic efforts were made by the family to rush him to the Nyahururu County Referral Hospital.
He was in a lot of pain due to a broken leg after the motorcycle he was riding on as a pillion passenger collided head-on with a lorry. His relatives’ immediate concern was to save his life.
A medic at the hospital referred them to the North Kinangop Mission Hospital but the family insisted on admitting him to the Nyahururu facility as it was closer to home. To their shock, however, a couple of days later, they were called to pick up their kin, who had been discharged.
“We wondered how they could discharge a patient who could barely walk. We sought the intervention of our MCA who convinced the management to readmit my brother until he recovers fully,” he said.
They soon realised the reason for the run-around. Congestion at the hospital was forcing staff to release patients before recovery to make way for others on a long waiting list. Patients are sharing three to a bed.
The male wards and the maternity wing are the most affected sections, with hospital staff attributing the congestion to the high demand for services.
Residents have raised concerns over the standards of services offered at the facility, which serves parts of Laikipia, Nyandarua, Nakuru and Baringo counties.
Nation has learnt that new mothers are being released from care a day after delivery to make way for other expectant women.
“Previously, a new mother would stay for at least two days after normal delivery and four after a Caesarean section. Now, one is discharged after stabilising,” said Ms Alice Njeri, a local.
No space
A medical officer at the facility said the hospital has been receiving a high number of patients yet has no space to accommodate them all.
“Patients share beds because daily admissions outstrip the bed capacity and we cannot turn people away,” said the medic, who noted that about 60 per cent of patients come from neighbouring counties.
The county administration has chosen to adopt a glass-half-full attitude to the raging crisis at the medical centre.
“The rise in the number of clients clearly demonstrates people’s confidence in receiving improved services at the hospital. This is especially after Governor Joshua Irungu reinstated the 30 doctors who had been fired by the previous administration,” said Dr Timothy Panga, the Health chief officer.
“The governor's commitment to transforming healthcare services has given the people of Laikipia renewed optimism that they will receive the best medical care available in their home county,” he added.
Governor Irungu said construction of a new, 120-bed ultra-modern mother and child unit is underway.
Its completion, the county boss said, will address overcrowding at the facility. He said his administration was carrying out major reforms in the county’s health sector “to ensure seamless delivery of services”.
Among the reforms, the governor revealed, include plans to increase bed capacity and fully equipped periurban health centres to reduce congestion in major hospitals in the county.
“My administration has accelerated the upgrade of Rumuruti Sub-County Hospital. Under the project, we are fully equipping the facility with the X-ray block, which has stalled for a long time.”
“Chest and orthopaedic patients will no longer have to travel to the Nyahururu County Referral Hospital with the completion and equipping of the theatre with an ultrasound machine also expected to be installed as part of the project,” Mr Irungu said.
He said that, as part of the ongoing reforms to improve health services, the county government was carrying out an equipment and infrastructure audit to identify what the medical facilities need the most. BY DAILY NATION
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