Patients endure pain of devolved health sector

 

Patients queue at a public hospital to see a doctor. Most public hospitals are facing severe staff
shortages. [PHOTO: FILE]

 

By MERCY KAHENDA and VINCENT MABATUK

Kenya: Frail patients trudge through the gates of hospitals hoping for better healthcare only to face despair.

Since the Government devolved the health function, it was expected that county governments would revitalise the critical health sector but this is yet to be done.

Despite expectations of residents and patients for better services, the situations in various public hospitals remain wanting.

Investigations by The Standard showed that most health facilities are still in deplorable condition while services continue to worsen.

Patients continue to be neglected for hours before being attended to. They are forced to spend more hours waiting for doctors and at times instructed to outsource drugs and other medical supplies.

At the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital that serves people from Samburu, Baringo, Nakuru, Narok, Bomet, and Nyandarua counties, patients had formed long queues.

The Standard team found patients yelling and calling for help from nurses who just ignore their cries.

Patients were seated on benches while others lay on the ground as they anxiously waited for services. They said slow service delivery by health attendants is the main challenge encountered at the facility.

The Standard approached a man they had seen for two days walking in with a lady. The man, Hassan Kamau said for the two days, he had been bringing his sister who was suffering from an head injury for a CT-scan but had not been successful.

Despite having paid the Sh5,000 fee required for her to undergo a CT-scan, doctors were yet to attend to her.

Another patient, Susan Wairimu, was suffering from chest pain and suspected it is pneumonia. But since reporteing at the facility at 8am, she had not moved an inch eight hours later.

Peter Kinyanjui, a boda boda operator, was another patient who between wails and curses, claimed nurses and doctors at the facility were reluctant to attend to him.

Kinyanjui was rushed to the facility by police officers after he was attacked and injured by criminals.

With blood oozing from his ears, nose and mouth, no doctor examined him until 6pm despite having a broken skull.

Due to the delay, his mother Lilian Ngina had to organise to transfer him to a private hospital in town. He was diagnosed with a severe head injury, multiple fractures to his skull and a damaged brain.

Malack Osoro, another patient, was undergoing a second blood test in the facility after a doctor misplaced his initial results.

Osoro was among the first lot in the morning but at 5.36pm, he was yet to know what he was ailing from.

“Another queue is still waiting for me at the pharmacy and what is the time now?” he asked with tears freely flowing.

The Nursing Officer in charge of the facility John Ocholla however, said although the hospital receives many patients, health workers make are making an effort to provide services.

On the allegations that patient were left for days without being attended to, Dr Ocholla said the facility always offers best services despite shortage of nurses. “The number of patients received at the hospital is overwhelming due to availability of specialists and facilities, health workers always go out of their way to attend to them,” said Ocholla.