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A patient admitted at Mathari Mental Hospital is fighting for his life after an attack at the facility.
Simon Mwenda, 41, who was suffering from alcohol addiction and had been admitted at the psychiatric hospital on December 28, 2017, was found brutalised and unconscious dumped at an isolated room on January 1, 2018.
Mwenda is still in a coma at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The last born in a family of nine from Kamwangi, Gatundu North, was registered as patient Number 117178 at the Drugs and Rehabilitation Centre. He was responding well to treatment and was expected to be discharged by January 6.
It is claimed security guards at Mathari hospital beat him up. But the hospital management has not acted on the case even after Mwenda’s family through Gatumuta and Company Advocates wrote to them to carry out an independent investigation. The case was also reported at Muthaiga Police Station.
Through a letter dated January 17 and copied to the Chairperson Parliamentary Health Committee legislator Sabina Chege and Ministry of Health, the family accuses the hospital of trying to cover up the assault.
“Efforts to get an explanation from Mathari Hospital have been fruitless. Family members are always taken in circles, with wild allegations that the patient was admitted in the current unconscious state. To-date, the patient is still unconscious without any details being disclosed to the family as to what transpired. It is clear there is a calculated and systematic plan to hide the truth,” reads the letter.
A family photo taken at the hospital hours before he was assaulted portrays a jovial Mwenda. His elder brother Moses Njoroge said their brother was physically okay.
“Mwenda was referred to Mathari Hospital from Gatundu District Hospital. His problem was alcohol addiction. We paid Sh10,000 for his 10-days rehabilitation. And all those days he was there we visited him and all was well,” said Njoroge.
The family claims they were not informed about the night assault until his brother Stephen Mucheru visited him at lunch time only to find him lying unattended.
“Despite him being unconscious and bleeding profusely, he was not attended to for over eight hours. He was left at the hands of fellow patients. Hospital ordered me to leave saying they would take him to hospital,” said Njoroge.
Mwenda was found dumped at KNH casualty section the following day. He was transferred there by Mathari hospital personnel but they have declined to explain what occurred. A photo taken by a relative at KNH shows Mwenda lying unattended and still fitted with a breathing aid.
“KNH staff told us he was dumped there, and they had to wait for a relative before commencing treatment. We wanted to give him a new life this year, but we are now watching him fight for his life,” Njoroge lamented.
The Nairobian contacted Mathari Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Joseph Jumba but our texts and calls went unanswered.
