Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika dissolved the board following public outcry over poor service delivery in the busy health facility.
The move came hours after residents held a demonstration outside the hospital to protest the death of a woman from bleeding hours after delivering.
On Tuesday, irate residents blocked the road leading to the facility to protest the death of 23-year-old Rebecca Wangari who had been admitted at the hospital for three days.
While issuing the directive, the County Secretary Dr Samuel Mwaura said this was part of restructuring the hospital that serves over 1,000 people daily.
He admitted that the hospital faced tens of challenges including staff and medical shortage which had affected service delivery.
While admitting that there was a problem at the hospital, Mwaura said the county was keen to address this by employing more staff and providing the required drugs and equipment.
“The board of this hospital has failed in its oversight role and being a link to the public, the governor will be electing new members in the coming weeks,” he said.
Mwaura added that a team had been formed to investigate alleged cases of maternal deaths with a promise to take necessary action.
According to him, the hospital owes Sh250 million to suppliers making it impossible to offer the required services.
“Suppliers have not been paid since 2020 and many doctors have left for further learning, this has had negative effects on the hospital,” he said.
The doctor further noted that the failure to promote the medical personnel since 2015 had affected staff morale, adding that this would be addressed in the next one month.
On drug shortage, he said the county first procured drugs worth Sh48 million, adding that another batch of Sh100 million was on the way to address the current shortage in public hospitals.
Viwandani MCA Mwangi Muraya welcomed the move to send the board packing noting that this was part of the measures put in place to improve service delivery in the public hospital.
“We are aware there are many challenges facing this hospital and we are calling for patience from members of the public as the governor is keen to address them,” he said.
-Edited by SKanyara
