• Residents term situation as shameful, say patients are referred for the 'simplest of ailments'
• Woman involved in a boat accident died after ambulance queued for fuel at a petrol station in Mpeketoni
Lamu county health facilities have drawn attention after residents raised concerns over their deteriorating state.
A spot check by the Star revealed that many facilities are unable to handle medical emergencies and have been forced to refer even the simplest of cases to hospitals in other counties like Kilifi and Mombasa.
The majority of patients have been forced to seek services in private health facilities, which are costly.
Lamu county has 34 dispensaries and numerous health facilities scattered across the region to serve the more than 140,000 people.
The Star found that most of the health facilities lacked basic medications like painkillers and antibiotics.
Simple intravenous fluids like saline water are lacking.
Major facilities include the Lamu King Fahad Referral Hospital, which is the largest, followed by the Mpeketoni and Mokowe subcounty hospitals in Lamu West.
There is also the Faza Subcounty Hospital in Lamu East.
Health workers who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal said most of the hospitals and dispensaries lack major amenities, drugs and staff.
“These facilities are just empty buildings. They have no staff, no drugs, no amenities and such things. It is hard to run the health sector effectively is hospitals don’t even have paracetamol or amoxicillin," one medic said.
"It’s such a shame that we are forced to refer patients with simple ailments because we don’t have the capacity to help them."
Residents have termed the situation shameful.
They complained of being forced to purchase prescribed medication over the counter, which they said are much more expensive.
Community leader Musharaf Sagaf of Witu said medics had been reduced to mere observers "as they only refer patients to hospitals in other counties or prescribe drugs that can only be found in chemists outside the hospitals".
“A friend of mine was seriously injured in a February 9 bus accident and was rushed to the Witu facility. He was left unattended for hours. Later, a nurse came and observed him then told us to purchase drugs including painkillers from outside as there were none at the facility. We were shocked. We just moved him to a private facility,” Sagaf said.
Another medic disclosed that facilities also face a challenge in stocking anti-venom drugs yet snake bites are common in the region.
He said tens of snakebite patients died last year alone just because there was no anti-venom treatment.
“You are charged with treating and saving lives but when you aren’t well equipped, there is nothing you can do. Sometimes, as unfortunate as it is, you sit and watch as people die because there is nothing you can do. We lost so many snakebite victims last year because of that," the medic said.
Similarly, out of the five ambulances in the county, three are grounded while only two remain in service resulting in high demand.
The situation has made it hard for health facilities to promptly respond to emergencies.
Patients at the Mpeketoni Subcounty Hospital are also reported to be sharing beds and using dirty toilets.
Last week, a woman who had been involved in a freak boat accident in Lamu died after the ambulance that was rushing her to Mombasa–where she had been referred–queued for fuel at a petrol station in Mpeketoni. It sparked outrage among members of the public.
The driver has since been withdrawn from ambulance services.
Health executive Anne Gathoni blamed the long processes in procurement and finance for drug shortages and other challenges facing the sector.
She admitted that drug shortages have hit facilities in the region "but not always".
"We have had a consistent supply of commodities and drugs. We get our drugs from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority. We expect commodities to start flowing early next week," Gathoni said.
She dismissed reports that patients at Mpeketoni were sharing beds.
"In a large system like health, occasionally gaps may occur. Of importance is to have mitigation measures in place."
Edited by R.Wamochie