A Nakuru County resident is calling for the resignation of the County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Health and the CEO of Nakuru Level 5 Hospital, following the passing away of a mother and her kin while receiving care at the hospital.
In a statement on Monday, April 28, one resident, Evans Kimori, said that the resignation of the two will be pivotal in ensuring that independent, thorough investigations are conducted into the matter.
According to Kimori, the Nakuru County government, led by Governor Susan Kihika, should take action and hold accountable those responsible for the passing of the mother and the lost baby.
"Recently, a woman tragically lost her life after a delivery at Nakuru Level 5 Hospital. In another heartbreaking case, baby Mercy disappeared from the same facility, leaving her family in endless pain. No child. No mother should ever have to go through such horror at the hands of a public institution meant to protect life," the statement read.
"As the youth and men of Nakuru County, we are deeply worried. We worry every time our wives, our girlfriends, our mothers, or our daughters step into public hospitals to give life. What should be a moment of joy has become a moment of fear," it added.
Kimori has further urged the Nakuru County Assembly and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) to deploy special teams to spearhead a probe into the hospital, which he described as a 'national shame'.
The resident has further stressed that the county government should issue a well-detailed statement on the strides it has made so far in investigating the two cases.
Lastly, the residents have also called for free maternal healthcare in the county through the reinstatement and reinforcement of the Linda Mama programme to guarantee the well-being of mothers and children.
"The county government must give a public assurance that all women in Nakuru can access safe, dignified maternal healthcare," it read.
"In conclusion, we are also petitioning the national government to immediately strengthen the Linda Mama Programme to ensure no woman or child is ever abandoned by the system meant to protect them. Enough is enough. Our women deserve better. Our children deserve better," it added.
The demands come days after a mother, on Saturday, April 19, succumbed at the hospital after giving birth through caesarean section.
According to the post-mortem report, the mother developed breathing complications hours after undergoing the procedure.
