An offending stench spewing out of maternity and general wards at Kajiado County Referral Hospital on Friday forced MCAs to cut short their tour.
This happened when the county health committee led by its chair, Moses ole Saoyo, toured the hospital on a fact-finding mission after casual workers downed their tools on Wednesday.
Saoyo, in the company of other members - Daniel Naikuni and Samuel Teum, walked to the hospital led by striking casual workers.
On entering the wards, journalists abandoned them as a hard-hitting smell emanated from the general wards.
After putting up brave faces and going beyond the general wards for men and women, Saoyo and his members made a fast turn from the maternity ward.
“This is unbearable. The maternity ward is emitting a very foul smell. It is full of soiled pads and a dirty floor. This is not a hospital recommended for the sick and women delivering babies,” Saoyo said.
The committee was also shocked to find that patients in general wards had not been fed from Wednesday.
“The last day I had something in my mouth was on Wednesday morning when they served us tea. We have no water for bathing and drinking. It is only God who is keeping us alive here,” a patient, whom we chose to withhold his name said.
The hospital’s ICU was under lock and key as the MCAs claimed the facility has no single drug after the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority stopped supplying medicine because of an unpaid bill of more than Sh200 million.
“This hospital should be closed down because its condition is a threat to the sick. Patients visiting the hospital can carry other deadly diseases from here,” Saoyo said.
Saoyo, Teum and Naikuni said their mission was not to inspect the facility but to find out why casuals had not been paid for more than five months.
The MCAs said the department of health receives more than Sh1.4 billion in budget allocation every year, the money includes salaries for casual workers.
“We are also shocked that the casuals are paid Sh7,500 each. They claim to have 82 casuals, but the information we are getting today is that there are only 45 casual workers,” Saoyo said.
The committee chairman ordered the county health CEC member to appear before the assembly on Wednesday next week to answer questions on the anomalies they saw at the county referral hospital.
The chairman also claimed 4 people died after failing to get dialysis service at the county referral hospital.
“Four died after travelling to Kajiado more than three times and failed to get dialysis because of lack of water which the machine requires,” he said.
Teum said the situation at the hospital is “terrible” after casual workers went on strike.
“The hospital is very dirty. Doctors are around and patients are hungry. Hospitals cannot run without casuals and we need to know why the casuals have not been paid,” Teum said.
Naikuni, who is also the minority leader, said patients are suffering and living under inhumane conditions.
“The children's ward also stinks as if it has never seen water,” Naikuni said.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
