Uncontrolled tears caused by sad memories of people losing their loved ones in hospitals marked Senator Samuel Seki’s weeklong meetings in Kajiado on Tuesday.
In Kajiado town, Edward Saipa, shocked county health stakeholders’ when he disclosed the pain his mother went through before breathing her last at the Kajiado referral hospital.
“My mother had cancer and had been referred to Kenyatta National Hospital from our county referral hospital in Kajiado. At the time, there was no ambulance and the only one around had no fuel,” Saipa said.
Saipa said his mother who was undergoing a lot of pain held on to him until she died as medical officers watched helplessly.
In Kitengela town, Naomi Nanjala, shocked the stakeholders with tales of her struggles when she was admitted to the Kitengela subcounty hospital maternity.
“I went into pain and had to struggle for almost one hour as no doctor or a nurse was in sight. I went through excruciating pain and by the time a nurse came in, I was almost passing out,” she said.
Nanjala said after giving birth to a tired baby, she blacked out and when she woke up, she was told her child died.
“These are true stories, they are about our lives. I bled for many hours without any assistance from the medical staff. After my baby died, one of them asked me whether I would take the body or leave it for them to be burnt it,” she said.
Timona Lemomo said all the county hospitals have no sign language interpreter.
Lemomo urged the county to consider employing sign language interpreters so that people living with hearing disabilities can be assisted.
Solomon Kinaya, a resident of Sajiloni in the Kajiado Central subcounty said he lost a relative at the Sajiloni health centre because a medical doctor failed to turn up in time.
He said there is only one nurse at the health centre, who is also a cleaner at the facility.
Seki said the meetings he organised are provided for by the law and as the senator, he has the right to question any wrong things that are happening in the health sector.
“What I am doing is collecting views from the people on how they are treated in our county hospital is justified. Our people have a right to proper health services,” Seki said.
He said that once he has collected all the views he will sit with Governor Joseph ole Lenku and brainstorm on the gaps.
Seki said human resources, diagnostic and prescriptive capacities had been questioned by the public and consumers of health services.
“Under Article 96(1) of the constitution, the Senate serves to protect the interests of the counties and county government to offer the best possible services,” Seki said.
Seki said his office is committed to ensuring that the residents of the county do not miss out on their rights to the best possible services due to avoidable management gaps.
“The first step towards getting a solution to the complaints before me is to give an ear to the broad spectrum of health stakeholders to obtain a fair view of the prevailing status,” the senator said.
The county health CEC member, Alex Kilowua, said he has started reforms in the health sector and has started by transferring and replacing underperforming workers.
“You will not hear of such stories again because I have put up a team with a human face to correct all the wrong things in our health institutions,” Kilowua said.
