This archive report was first published on 23 August 2020.
Published on August 23, 2020, Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital is once again under scrutiny for its poor services to patients and staff. The hospital is struggling to provide basic medical services due to a severe shortage of essential supplies.
Investigations by the Sunday Standard revealed that the hospital is unable to perform simple tests like blood sugar, pregnancy, malaria, and X-Rays. Patients seeking these services are being referred to private facilities within Kakamega town.
A clinician working at the outpatient department stated, “We cannot perform simple tests like that of malaria since we don’t have reagents. The supply for drugs and non-pharms is limited forcing us to refer patients to get the services outside the facility. We don’t have X-Ray services since the films have not been procured for the last four months.”
The hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been grounded due to a huge debt owed to suppliers, affecting the delivery of services in the maternity ward, renal unit/dialysis, laboratory, theatre, and complex surgical operations.
Antony Akoto, the chairman of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, western chapter, stated, “The renal unit has been operating at half capacity for the last three months. The non-pharms we were using were borrowed from Vihiga County, which has improved its healthcare services.”
The hospital has run out of essentials like surgical needles, disposable gowns, anesthesia drugs, surgical masks, and reagents used in complex operations. Patients' kin are forced to pay thousands of shillings for a pint of blood, which should cost around Sh700.
A medic stated, “We don’t have blood at the blood bank since the department is underfunded. In some cases, for a patient to access the little blood available, their kin are forced to part with between Sh3,000 to Sh5,000 for a pint of blood.”
The hospital has lost four consultants due to alleged harassment and job stagnation. Some medics were offered scholarships in India but their requests for study leave were declined.
County Health Executive Collins Matemba acknowledged the financial constraints affecting the hospital's operations. He stated, “It is true the renal unit at the hospital has been facing acute shortage of supplies. However, supplies were received on Wednesday, and these will keep the unit running for about two months.”
Matemba also attributed the departure of five consultants to their search for greener pastures.
