Death of mother, unborn twins sparks calls to shut down Kisii dispensary

Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWPOA) Members led by Kisii County MP Donya Dorice at Magena Dispensary in Kisii County. They toured the facility following the recent death of a woman and her unborn twins when she was giving birth. (Sammy Omingo, Standard)

Eight women MPs recommended the closure of Magena Dispensary, where a mother and her unborn twin babies died three weeks ago following alleged negligence.

The MPs affiliated with the Kenya Parliamentary Women Association (Kewopa) said the facility in Kisii County does not meet hygiene and basic requirements.

The legislators also recommended an audit into the death incident, saying it was important that the truth be known about what led to the incident.

Medics at Magena dispensary, where a mother died with her unborn twin babies, adamantly refused to refer the patient to a higher facility even after the situation worsened, a teary parent narrated to women Parliamentarians who had gone for a fact-finding mission at the facility on Friday.

At one point, while in the fact-finding mission, the women MPs who had to hear the story from the mother of Phanice Kemunto (the deceased woman), Ms Joyce Kwamboka, were overcome with tears as the parent narrated the ordeals her daughter had to go through before she died in the hands of nurses.

"My daughter was in very deep pain, and anyone could see it was not ordinary labour pains. I pleaded for an emergency decision to transfer him to a nearby referral hospital, but the nurse on duty refused. She instead forced her to go and have a walk at the field for an exercise," the mother narrated.

According to the family, the nurses could not even consider it an emergency when Kemunto passed amniotic fluid, which usually is a sign of readiness for delivery.

"She instead insisted that the fluid was nothing to worry about since the birth canal had not sufficiently opened for the passage of the babies," she said.

That was the painful ordeal the expectant mother had to endure for more than 36 hours before she died.

The women parliamentarians lamented the poor state of the dispensary, raising questions over the lack of essential primary healthcare equipment and amenities.

Notably, the legislators raised concerns over the absence of running water, sufficient space for maternity wards and the absence of basic diagnostic tools, especially the ultrasound machine.

Among those who were in the fact-finding mission were the host Dorice Donya Aburi (Kisii), Jerusha Momanyi (Nyamira), Ruth Odinga (Kisumu), Rene Mayaka (Nominated MP), Beatrice Adagala (Vihiga), Lilian Sioi (Trans-Nzoia) and Fatuma Masito (Lamu).

"How best would we have expected the medics at this dispensary to know that the woman in their hands was carrying a risky pregnancy if they could not detect it through the ultrasound machine? Where is the machine here?" Donya questioned.

"Pregnancy is not a disease. Labour pains are not an illness but a good sign for a mother who is about to deliver. But it's very unfortunate that we could lose a mother and her unborn twins in this manner," Masito said.

Ms Momanyi, the Nyamira Woman MP, said the hospital should be urgently closed because of its bad state in many aspects.

"How can a hospital facility look like a cow's shed? We are in an era of modernity where we expect a place where children are born to be clean and above any basic hygiene standards. This dispensary has to be closed down and necessary works done there for people to count it as a healthcare centre," Momanyi noted.

"Three lives lost is not just any other statistic. This is a human rights issue, and it should be treated as such and urgently before we lose another life here," Adagala, Vihiga Woman MP, said.

"It is a sad day for me to see what I have seen here today. This looks like somebody's house in the name of a hospital," Odinga said.

Rene Mayaka called for urgent measures from the national government to address the health crisis in the county.

She also tasked the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and medical agencies to ensure those who were negligent in their work are well put under deserving disciplinary procedures.

"All those who are responsible for the loss of the lives should carry their crosses and should bear the consequences," Mayaka said.

Kisii Governor Simba Arati, late last month when the incident happened, had visited the facility and assured residents of thorough investigations into the incident.

He had promised to make public the report on the audit into the alleged medical negligence.

However, the report is yet to be released, about four weeks now.

"We won't leave any stone unturned in this case, and we shall make sure the truth is well known," Arati had said.

The woman was a one-time journalist with the Nyamira County-based Radio Kisima before she moved on to do private consultancies.