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Nandi County health office paid 'fake' doctor Sh150,000 per month

Health & Science
 County Executive in Charge (CEC) of Health Matthew Rotich addresses the press in Kapsabet, Nandi County. The CEC shifted blame to the National government through the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee saying it was responsible for the posting of Ronald Melly to the Kapsabet Referral Hospital. (PHOTO: KEVIN TUNOI/ STANDARD)

Kapsabet County Hospital was paying a man accused of being a fake doctor nearly Sh150,000 every month.

Investigations show Ronald Kiprotich Melly continued to work at Kapsabet County Hospital six months even after his colleagues raised queries about his qualifications.

Kapsabet Hospital Medical Superintendent Shadrack Kemei confirmed he had received complaints in July and August this year from other doctors, nurses and hospital staff about Mr Melly.

Dr Kemei said the facility investigated a case involving him in June after a caesarean delivery he conducted led to the death of the mother, but would not reveal the investigations.

Melly worked in several departments at the hospital, including the maternity and outpatient departments between May 4 and October this year, when he was transferred to Meteitei Sub-County Hospital as Medical Superintendent.

Some health workers attached to the maternity wing said they ejected the doctor owing to numerous mistakes.

"He was too careless. We could not risk having him in our department; gladly the management moved him to out-patient," said a nurse who worked with him.

Some of his friends said they were shocked after learning of his astronomical rise in the medical field yet they were aware he had not excelled in his examinations.

In the seven months he worked in Nandi County, the 'fake doctor' worked in the maternity section at the county hospital, in delivery cases and conducting caesarean sections for a month before being shifted to the out-patient department.

On October 13, he  was deployed to the Meteitei Sub-County Hospital as a medical superintendent.

The county government blamed the Health ministry for posting Melly to Nandi, saying it only acted on orders from Afya House to accept the doctor, who was supposedly on his first posting after internship.

A letter dated April 13, 2016 from a P. Karanja, acting CEO, Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee directed that 'Dr Melly Ronald Kiprotich' be posted to Homa Bay County as a Medical Officer.

The letter stated Melly had successfully completed his internship; and that the county health office was required to receive him as an oficer in job group M.

"He wrote a formal request to be transferred to Nandi County from Homa Bay where he had been posted; the letter was received by my office and his request granted with the full knowledge of his employer," said Dr Rotich.

The 'doctor' was received by the Health Chief Officer Edward Serem on April 25, 2016 and he reported to work duty on May 4, 2016.

Records at the human resource office in Nandi revealed he received a basic salary of Sh41,590 per month, including house and extraneous allowances of Sh15,000 and Sh35,000 respectively.

Other allowances included non-practise allowance of Sh19,000 and Emergency Call allowance of Sh30,000.

He also had a commuter allowance of Sh8,000 among other comforts and allowances.

Contacted by The Standard, Melly denied that he was a quack, saying  that some unknown people were out to 'fix' him.  "Wanataka kunimaliza hawa watu, niko na  makaratasi. (They want to finish me, I have the (academic) papers)," he said.

Friends of the 28-year-old maintained his academic credentials are suspect.

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