The near death of Mathari Mission Hospital

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| 16yrs ago | 3 min read

By Francis Ngige

The once popular Mathari Mission Hospital in Nyeri is a shadow of its former self.

From a reputable medical facility drawing patients from different parts the country, the Catholic-run hospital can barely function, due to financial constraints.

The hospital, established by Consolata Missionaries in early 1937, had cut a niche in the medical field and has, over the years, acted as a referral facility in Central and Eastern provinces.

Previously, with the help of international donors and local sponsors, the hospital excelled in providing subsidised medical services to the less fortunate.

Before the turn of the century, it retained a reputation in providing medical and nursing care for the local community and people from neighbouring countries.

Despite boasting modern equipment, the hospital has been operating under capacity.

Among the modern equipment installed at the facility is a computerised tomography scanner, in which an X-Ray beam is deflected to sequential non-adjacent locations to collect imaging information.

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It is the latest model and cost Sh14 million.

Mathari hospital also has an ultra-sound instrument, which can detect the sex of a baby.

The 217-bed hospital, located just outside Nyeri Town and administered by the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri, is under utilised.

The hospital’s main entrance. Photos: Francis Ngige/Standard

During its prime, it was difficult to get admission.

But that is not the situation now, as the in-patients is on an average of 40 to 50 per cent.

During a recent tour of the hospital, we found several unoccupied beds, while the outpatient department had only a handful of patients.

The Intensive Care Unit, in the hospital’s emergency wing, had just two patients.

A fully-fledged Ear, Nose and Throat department was virtually deserted, as were the dental and diagnostic centres.

As a result of the problems facing it, the former giant has been trying to re-invent itself with an aggressive restructuring plan.

But what went wrong?

According to sources, the frequent change of management is largely to blame for its near collapse.

A medic who has worked at the hospital for more than 10 years says the hospital has had more than eight different administrators since 2000, a turnover that has worked against it.

"Each administrator has come with his own ideas of running the hospital and before they start implementing, another one takes over," he says.

He claims unqualified staff has run down the hospital.

The source revealed some money from the hospital kitty has been misappropriated —used for projects not related to the facility.

Restructuring

Another employee says mismanagement is to blame.A patient in the Intensive Care Unit at Mathari Mission Hospital.

"There were some administrators who, despite being in the hospital full-time, had little concentration on its daily running," he said.

He said the new administration, put in place last September, has begun restructuring.

"After the new management took over, there has been an increase in in-patient and outpatient services. The services offered by the hospital are being announced with the church network in the province and elsewhere," said the employee.

Recently, the church sacked its subordinate staff, which resulted in an outcry.

The sacking, which was due to cost-cutting, led to a go-slow among nurses and other medical personnel, who feared they might be next.

The administrator, Fr John Mbai, concedes all is not well at the hospital, once regarded as among the best in the country.

Mbai says the hospital has faced financial constraints that have been aggravated "by high poverty levels befalling the local communities".

He, however, refuses to admit the previous administration was to blame for the current state of affairs.

"I would not like to be drawn to the argument that there are people who mismanaged the hospital. All I want is to get it back on its feet and I believe, in time, we are going to fulfill that," he says.

"Many patients cannot afford to pay the hospital bills, despite the highly subsidised service," says Mbai, "as a result, the hospital lacks enough cash flow, which is essential for its smooth running."

potential

Mbai says the hospital has the potential to sustain itself and offer quality healthcare at affordable rates.

"We have already developed a strategic plan to invest in modern equipment, to facilitate accurate and prompt diagnosis."

He also says information about the hospital has not been made available to the public.

"We have world-class health facilities, but few people know that, that is why we are embarking on a new mission to make it known in all corners of the country," he says.