Meru Municipality MCA Elius Murega and the Meru Level 5 Hospital CEO disagreed in front of patients over the state of the facility.
Hospital CEO James Kirimi dismissed claims the facility’s equipment is not functional. But Murega said a lot needs to be done to improve health services in the hospital.
“No machine is non-operational. I thank Murega for taking time from his schedule to visit the facility to check on the services being offered to Meru people. But I would like to correct him. All machines —including the MRI, CT scan, dialysis machine, oxygen plants and the mortuary — are fully functional,” Kirimi said.
He said the hospital has started construction of more wards that will help reduce congestion. Kirimi said the contractor is on site and construction is going on.
He said the reason patients share beds is because some of those who have discharged are unable to pay bills so they can be allowed to leave.
But Murega said such incidents can lead to transmission of diseases. “As a nurse, I’m aware some diseases can be transmitted through sharing of bedding or beds,” Murega said.
He said he was astonished when he visited the hospital wards and found two patients sharing one bed.
The MCA said the hospital, which is in his ward and is the largest in the county, has few staff.
But Kirimi said the hospital has a high performance record considering they handle medical cases from the area and neighboring counties.
“Under Governor Kiraitu Murungi, a new four-storey building to house wards is under construction. We will have a fully functional ICU by August next year,” the medic said.
Kirimi said they are working with Kemsa to improve the drugs supply. “Our pharmacy is well-stocked with drugs worth more than Sh15 million. We had pending bills of Sh90 million, but over the past year, this has reduced to Sh20 million,” he said. But some patients said they are sent to buy drugs outside the facility.