This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
Lang'ata Hospital has denied allegations that it was conducting fake COVID-19 tests and charging patients KSh 5,500 for the same.
According to the hospital, officials from the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologies Board (KMLTTB) only closed the laboratory and brought criminal charges against its staff after a raid on July 8.
The hospital's spokesperson explained that it had reached out to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) to refer patients for testing at its facility, and KEMRI had agreed to conduct the tests at a fee of KSh 4,000.
The hospital then charged its clients a facilitation fee of KSh 1,500, and patients were driven to KEMRI for testing in the hospital's ambulance, which was fumigated after each trip.
Payment for the testing services was made to KEMRI by Langata Hospital, and the institute would issue an official receipt in the name of every individual patient.
However, KEMRI later issued a statement saying it was not conducting tests in partnership with any health facilities, including Langata Hospital, and identified a poster by the hospital as fake.
Documents from KEMRI indicated that it had received samples from Langata Hospital for COVID-19 testing at its laboratory in Centre for Microbiology Research.
