Crisis at Nyeri hospital as ICU, renal unit closed

Isaac Mathenge, 65, is a troubled man. When The Standard caught up with him at the Consolata Mission Hospital in Mathari, a private institution outside Nyeri town, he was going through his daily dialysis session after being turned away at Nyeri Provincial General Hospital.

Like thousands of patients in dire need of specialised treatment, Mr Mathenge was turned away from the provincial hospital, which has literally locked up its Intensive Care and renal units for two weeks to allow the eight staff from the two departments to attend a two-week training in Italy.

“I usually have two sessions per week and I have been taken aback by the closure of the renal unit,” said Mr Mathenge.

He then posed: “What happens to patients without enough money to seek the services at private hospitals?”

Investigations by The Standard revealed the laboratory was not in operation either.

Outside the provincial hospital gate, we met James Mwangi who was seeking help to raise money to undergo a blood test at a private laboratory after being turned away.

“I have been told to seek laboratory services in town since the one at the hospital is not in operation. I am required to give Sh1,500 but I just have Sh500 and I don’t know what to do,” said Mr Mwangi.

The only tests being conducted at the hospital are hemoglobin and stool sampling.

Daily frustrations

“Even urinalysis, which is a simple test is not done because the county government cannot afford a specimen bottle that costs Sh10,” said one of the employees.

Dejected medical staff attached to the affected sections and who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity, spoke of the daily frustrations they encounter.

“Some of these reagents we are talking about are very cheap and readily available but the supply has been running low and is now completely out,” said one employee.

He said attempts to raise the issue with the hospital’s administration has not yielded fruit, as blame is shifted to the county government.

According to the county government, the crucial units have been closed to allow staff to attend a two-week training in Italy, which according to County Health Executive Charles Githinji, is mandatory.

“This training is mandatory since we are waiting for the new equipment acquired by the national government to arrive in a few weeks. They had to go for the training to enable them to work with the new machines,” said Dr Githinji.

He conceded that the ICU unit was outdated and needed a new lease on life for it to operate at its optimum.

On the non-operation of the laboratory, Githinji said most suppliers of the reagents used in the facility had stopped their supplies due to accumulation of debt.

He said a cash-flow problem, occasioned by failure by the national government to release the money on time, has seen the money owed to suppliers of reagents reaching Sh80 million.

“We have problem of reagents not only at the referral hospital but also at other medical facilities across the country. The equipment we have in the labs require specific reagents and we cannot, therefore, use those that are not compatible,” he said.

The recently launched renal unit, which has been operating at half capacity following the breakdown of some machines, was yesterday not operating, throwing patients into confusion.

Out of the 10 dialysis machines that were launched at the centre early this year by Governor Nderitu Gachagua, only seven have been working with the rest having broken down in what the administration described as a “software problem.” The complete closure of the unit has brought untold suffering to scores of patients who used to visit the facility for daily dialysis sessions.