By Kepher Otieno
The Government has ordered investigations into circumstances in which a patient died at Kisumu District Hospital during an operation.
Nyanza Provincial Director of Medical Services Ojwang Lusi told the Hospital’s superintendent to explain condition in which the patient died.
Dr Lusi said the patient’s death has raised concern in and outside the facility.
This comes after the public complained about services offered by public health facilities.
A year ago, a patient reportedly died while waiting for specialised treatment at Nyanza Provincial General hospital, an incident that sparked public fury.
An investigation by The Standard and interviews with the hospital’s administrators revealed that the facility has an acute shortage of staff.
proposed health law
Nyanza Provincial Hospital Board Chairman Bob Madanje attributed deaths in the past on inadequate personnel and not neglect.
Mr Madanje accused the State of being reluctant to address staff shortage at the facility.
Recently, Kisumu Town West MP Olago Aluoch and his Kisumu East counterpart Shakeel Shabbir decried the manner in which the hospital was run.
Mr Shabbir lamented about the dilapidated infrastructure and the high fees levied on patients.
With the proposed draft health law in the pipeline several people are optimistic that a solution would be reached .
The proposed drafts Article (6) (1) provides that every person has the right to emergency medical treatment.
The proposed law states that no person shall be denied emergency treatment by the health service provider of first contact.’
It also proposes in Article (3) that Emergency medical treatment shall include: a pre-hospital care and stabilising the health status of the individual and arranging for transfer.
