MPs are probing a possible misdiagnosis - Covid-19 positive - of Kiambu Central MP Jude Njomo’s mother, forcing the family to hurriedly bury her in early morning.
Tests from two different hospitals were negative.
The National Assembly’s Health committee is investigating the circumstances in which Pathologists Lancet Kenya reported Margaret Njomo, 86, to be Covid-19 positive. Lancet says it performed the tests twice in conformity with international protocols.
The Health committee is chaired by Murang’a Woman Representative Sabina Chege.
Appearing before the committee, Njomo narrated how his mother tested negative at the Aga Khan Hospital when she first fell sick.
He said she was unwell again on June 8, when the family rushed her to Mater Hospital where she died outside the facility’s gate.
The body was preserved at Mater mortuary in preparation for burial.
During preparation, the family got a call at 3am informing them the body tested positive for the coronavirus and they should immediately pick the body for interment.
Mater used Pathologists Lancet Kenya, where samples tested positive.
Burial followed five hours after the call, in compliance with Health ministry directives on disposal of Covid-19-positive bodies.
Then the lawmaker sought a second opinion. Mater carried out another test at Nairobi Hospital. The results were negative there, as well as at the Aga Khan.
The Nairobi Hospital test was carried on June 11, just a day after the Lancet results dated June 10.
“I wondered how many Kenyans have gotten wrong results, how many other Kenyans go through quarantine because of a wrong outcome, how many labs are careless,” Njomo testified.
“Many Kenyans are voiceless. Let me be the voice for those who have been offended by careless laboratories. I wrote to the KMPDB (Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board) to inquire what is the problem of Lancet,” he told the committee.
But in a presentation to the committee, Lancet maintained its laboratory conducted the tests as required and the results turned out positive. They said they conducted a second test and both results were positive.
“In the intervening two weeks between 13th June and 27th June, the Lancet team in line with ISO15189 standards undertook a detailed and thorough internal audit review of all the testing procedure and test result for the case,” read part of Lancet’s documents submitted to the committee.
“The review confirmed that the result was truly positive and all the quality management systems were in place assuring the quality of the results, including use of double negative controls in the batch that was run to exclude any contamination.”
(Edited by V. Graham)
