Impose tough penalties to deter negligence in medical facilities

A brain surgery carried out on a wrong patient at Kenyatta National Hospital has lifted the lid on the extent of professional negligence in health facilities. In a shocking patient mix-up at the country’s largest referral facility, a man was wheeled into the theatre, had his skull opened up only for the neurosurgeon to discover he wasn’t the right patient who had a blood clot in the brain.

The blunder, detected hours later, has raised tough questions on KNH’s pre-surgery procedures. It also led to the suspension of hospital CEO Lilly Koros. Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said the KNH board would pronounce itself on the matter this morning.