Nurses: Report on KNH surgery ‘skewed’, blame doctors

Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) General Secretary Seth Panyako (left) flanked by the union’s Treasurer Agnes Munderu address journalists. The union criticised the report that absolved doctors of blame in the surgery mix-up. [Willis Awandu, Standard]

The Nurses union has rejected the Kenya Medical and Practitioners and Dentists Board's report which blamed nurses on duty for the KNH surgery mix-up.

The union Secretary General Seth Panyako on Tuesday said that systematic failures and glaring gaps in the admission processes at the hospital cannot be pinned on one nurse.

Panyako who said the mix up is as a result of failure that must be logically addressed instead of apportioning blame on the nurse.

“Issues of staff shortages, equipment, workers’ professional participation and representation, congestion, drugs, admission, operations and discharge procedures should be addressed holistically,” he said.

While referring to the World Health Organization marking verification checklist Panyako said that had it been followed then the problem would have been averted.

"Patient identification starts at the records department. The first person responsible is the records department," Panyako said.

He said that patients slated for operation always bear marks on the area they are supposed to be operated on.

"The mark is checked by the operating doctor. It is put in place by the operating surgeon and confirm the procedure to be performed," Panyako said.

Last week, the medical board cleared Doctors Hudson Ng’ang’a and Mose Moraa saying that nurse Mary Wahome’s competence should be tested by the nurses' council.

The committee however indicated that Mary Wahome, the nurse involved in the mix-up, should be further probed to determine if she is still fit to serve in the environment.

Panyako however said that they will not allow further probe of the nurse and threatened to go to court should that happen.

"We are yet to receive the report from the medical board. We will write to the nursing council not to investigate the nurse being blamed for the brain surgery mix up," he added.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists' Board said it will conduct fresh investigations into the surgery mix-up.

The CEO Daniel Yumbya told the Parliamentary Health Committee that the report released last week exonerating the doctors was preliminary. 

Patients, KNH management and medics involved will be invited to give evidence before a report is released on April 10.

At the same time an independent audit commissioned by the KNH Board would be released around the same time.