Baby Travis who died after fork jembe accident laid to rest in Thika

A blurred image of baby Travis at KNH where he was undergoing treatment before he succumbed to his injuries. [Courtesy: Twitter]

The government has been urged to conduct reforms in all public healthcare facilities to improve service delivery.

Mourners at the burial of Travis Maina Kung'u, a two-year-old boy whose photos were shared on social media having a fork jembe lodged in his head, regretted the growing trend of doctors failing to dispense care to patients before upfront payments.

Led by Joakim Njama, the Ngoliba ward MCA where the accident happened, the mourners took issue with Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) staffers for delaying to attend to the emergency that left many Kenyans shocked.

In his statement, Njama warned the incoming Cabinet Secretary for Health Susan Nakhumicha that the journey will be rough for her if she fails to do away with skewed hospital policies.

Njama said such policies have cost lives as patients have died waiting for their families to raise the required deposits.

The MCA regretted that doctors in most hospitals have developed a routine of estimating patients' out-of-pocket payments and trying to collect upfront.

The poor behaviour, he said has seen many poor Kenyans die as others experience deteriorated health complications occasioned by delayed assessments.

His sentiments were echoed by Ndula assistant chief Wainaina Kiondo who regretted the incident.

As the family continues to grapple with persistent complex bereavement disorder, mourners insist on the need to dispense justice for the young boy through the arrest of anyone who may be found as having neglected the case as an emergency.

Maina who is the last born in their family got in an accident while at home before he was rushed to Thika Level Five Hospital where after examination he was referred to KNH for specialized treatment.

According to a eulogy provided by the family, the minor died at the age of two years and three months while undergoing treatment.

Failure by KNH to immediately remove the external object had initially elicited fury among netizens who described the national health facility as negligent.

KNH would later release a statement clarifying that the presumed delays were meant to allow room for clotting owing to the boy's critical state.