KMPDU on the public health system after the death of the 2yrs old boy in KNH.
Concerns have been raised by KMPDU on the public health system, this is after the death of a two year boy who had a fork logged in his skull.
Also read Uproar as a delayed surgery causes death to a child in KNH
The Kenya medical practitioners pharmacists and dentists union stated that the boy’s case is one of the many incidents that happen in public hospitals.
KMPDU secretary general Atellah stated,”None of us is safe until the public healthcare system guarantees the highest attainable standards of emergency care to the humblest among us.”
Atellah stated that the boy could have been helped in Thika level 5. He questioned that being a level 5 hospital, they should have facilities to perform the surgery that was needed.
Dr. Atellah stated,”While the facts surrounding the death of this innocent young boy remain scanty and far between, there seems to be a pattern. He got injured at their home in Kiambu County: was taken to a small village dispensary where the right call was made to refer him to Thika Level 5 Hospital. KMPDU has indeed taken time to audit the Service Competency Profile prescribed by the Government of Kenya and has concluded that for Thika Level 5 Hospital to be considered a Level 5 Hospital, it needs to have at least a Neurosurgeon, an Anaesthesiologist consultant, among other Consultants and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capabilities.”
“The question Kenyans ought to be asking is why Thika Level 5 Hospital under the management of the Kiambu County Government and the leadership of Kimani Wamatangi could not attend to this boy at the time he was presented at the hospital. Does Thika Level 5 Hospital meet the standards of a Level 5 Hospital as the name suggests or is it another of the Hospitals that dot the face of the Republic which are branded with big names on billboards by Governors to serve Public Relations purposes, but lack the basic competence to render the services commensurate to the status they so profess? Why has the Kiambu County Government remained mute over this incident, yet it has the primary duty to deliver health services to the people of Kiambu?”Dr. Atellah questioned.
Dr. Atellah has however, urged the government to invest in healthcare, to avoid such case.
Dr. Atellah stated,”For Universal Health Care to be realized, the consumers of Health Services must NOT be made to pay for services at the point of use. It is this realization that has distinguished the true UHC model as implemented by the United Kingdom’s Government under the National Health Services Trust from the commercial model which is insurance driven as implemented in other parts of the World.”