Meru MCAs have accused the pharmacy department of graft and blamed it for the poor state of health services.
The assembly Health committee, established that the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital suffers from inefficiency, poor services, lack of specialists and dysfunctional equipment, among other problems.
The committee headed by chairman Martin Kionozi carried out a seven-month investigation from February 1.
On Wednesday, MCAs adopted its report. The hospital in Meru town serves several counties, including neighbouring Tharaka Nithi, Isiolo and Laikipia.
In September, Governor Kiraitu Murungi warned workers against stealing drugs or colluding with private chemists to exploit patients. He said they would be fired and prosecuted.
“They seek to enrich themselves. We’ll have zero tolerance for dishonest and corrupt staff,” he said. Murungu called such workers “criminals” and set up a monitoring unit to expose them.
The committee also found that the referral hospital has myriad challenges, including a large number of patients, defective renal dialysis equipment, a dysfunctional ICU that can hold only three beds, and shortage of drugs.
The report indicts pharmacy department officers for colluding with private chemists to refer patients to buy medicine, even when the facility has the prescribed medication.
“The committee red-handedly witnessed a patient being told to buy plaster of Paris from outside the hospital, despite the fact that the hospital had it in the pharmacy,” the report says.
Mwanganthia MCA Julius Mbijiwe and his Kangeta counterpart Romano Mwito accused Health executive Eunice Nkirote of failing the sector.She only visits the facility when accompanying Governor Kiraitu Murungi, they said.
The assembly members criticised her for “snubbing” the committee. Only chief officer Kanana Kimonye honoured their summons.
“I’m astonished by the cases of the corruption in the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital. Patients are denied drugs bought by their taxes,” Mbijiwe said.
The team urged the county government to prioritise the health sector by ensuring every facility has enough drugs, medical staff and other supplies. It has also called for legislation on health policy.
“This will guarantee effective coordination of services and guide devolution of the sector,” they say.
Mwito said several subcounty hospitals and dispensaries face similar problems.
“They are subcounty hospitals by name but don’t even qualify to be health centres,” he said.
The MCAs urged the county administration to set up a cancer-screening institute, streamline procurements and develop a policy that will guide hospital operations.
They want drugs bought from Kemsa to guarantee quality. They said only two ambulances are functional at the referral hospital and want more added.