Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has ordered an immediate probe into Coast General Hospital after three patients allegedly died following oxygen disruptions at the facility.
According to a report by NTV, the hospital had scheduled maintenance on its oxygen plant, and when it was switched off, three patients who had been connected to the system lost their lives.
The families of the victims claimed the hospital failed to provide any backup oxygen during the maintenance, ultimately leading to the deaths.
"My dad took almost 20 minutes while he gasped for air, looking for oxygen. The nurses present were just running around but did nothing. We kept asking for the backup cylinders, but there were none—until he died while we watched helplessly," Joel Mutua Kimanzi, a son of one of the victims, narrated.
Responding to the reports, the governor visited one of the family members who lost their father and ordered that an investigation be launched and those found responsible face the law.
''We must launch a proper investigation, and we will ensure that if there is any staff who needs to be held responsible, they must be held responsible. There are no two ways to this,'' the governor directed.
According to the governor, while he empathised with the families, he revealed that he would not be quick to pick sides and instead ordered a postmortem on the deceased.
''We have discussed and agreed that there will be a postmortem done by a pathologist trusted by the family. The hospital will also give me a report from its pathologist, and compare it to another report from the power sector to find out what happened and what caused the deaths,'' the governor revealed.
According to the affected families, despite the chaos and confusion that had been caused by the disruption, no backup oxygen was provided.
The families are now seeking justice for their kin and asking for compensation for what happened.
''We have been paying a lot of money, and we have been providing everything the doctors asked for immediately. We need justice and compensation,'' another victim demanded.
The hospital has not yet publicly commented on the matter.
