Mother sues AG Githu Muigai, hospital for child's arm amputation

A woman has sued the Attorney General, the county government and a nurse at Likoni Sub-District Hospital for negligence and misdiagnosis that led to the amputation of her son's right arm.

Christine Nthoki, mother of the four-year-old child whose hand was amputated after being put in a plaster cast, said the AG and the county government failed to employ competent medical, clinical and nursing staff during her son's hospitalisation.

In papers filed in a Mombasa court yesterday, Ms Nthoki submitted that the three healthcare givers administered medical treatment that fell below the reasonable standards of care required of a competent healthy facility.

She said a physiotherapy nurse, Hyline Memba, who examined the baby failed to properly examine and diagnose the extent of the injury, and also failed to refer the X-ray to a competent radiologist for a report.

The mother, who was being cross-examined by both the defence and plaintiff lawyers before Chief Magistrate Julius Nang'ea, said the nurse should have referred her son to a competent medical practitioner and paid more attention to her son's hand.

She blamed the nurse for a wrong diagnosis that indicated that her son had a crack in the right arm, which prompted her to plaster the arm in an unprofessional manner that led to the amputation.

"My son was right-handed, now he is struggling to use his left arm. Although he has healed, I still blame the nurse who told me that my son was hurt and proceeded to plaster him, which contributed to the amputation," she told the court.

Her lawyer, Jane Umara, said the AG and county government were responsible for the administration, management, staffing, provision material, surgical, nursing and anciliary services at the hospital.

"The X-ray at Peponi X-Ray Centre showed no fracture on the minor's limb, the application of the plaster at Likoni Sub-District Hospital was based on a misdiagnosis of fracture not demonstrated on the X-ray availed, and as a result of the negligence and misdiagnosis, the minor lost his arm, suffered injury, loss and damage," said Ms Umara.

A medical report from Peter Ummar, a private practising radiologist, said that an amputation could have been avoided if the minor had not been plastered.