Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Monday, April 17, dissolved the board of Mama Lucy Hospital following an uproar over a 26-year-old patient who lost her unborn baby.
In a statement signed by Anastasia Nyalita, County Executive Committee member (CECM) in charge of health, a new board was appointed and would be headed by Dorcas Kemunto.
Bernard Gituma would serve as Board Secretary while six other personnel would serve as board members. These comprised Christoper Githinji, Jennifer Mumbua, Susan Wanjiru, Yvonne Peris, Ronald Ngala and Fridah Nduati.
On the other hand, Gituma also took over as the medical superintendent, replacing Dr. Emma Mutio who was posted to Pumwani Hospital as a specialist.
City Hall affirmed that the process of recruiting the hospital's CEO was at an advanced stage.
The move followed a case whereby a patient arrived at the hospital on Saturday, April 15, in the company of her relatives. Aside from lower abdominal pains, she complained that she could not feel the regular baby movements.
After conducting an ultrasound, the medical team at Mama Lucy Hospital informed the mother that her baby was not alive.
"The Ultrasound scan results came back revealing that the patient had experienced an IntraUterine Foetal Death (IUFD) at 38 weeks and 5 days.
"At 7:20 pm, the patient who was already in labour delivered a macerated (shows skin and soft tissue changes- skin discoloration/darkening, redness, peeling and breakdown) stillbirth male infant with a birth weight of 2,600 grams.
"The medical team showed the patient the baby and informed her that the baby had passed away 2-3 days before delivery and her visit to the hospital," read part of the statement.
According to City Hall, the Hospital ought to have handled the situation better.
"The Governor has personally spoken to the patient and her family, offered his condolences and commiserated with them. While there have been improvements in the handling of patients and the level of customer service at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, a lot remains to be done and has been lined up by the County Government.
"This includes the completion of stalled building projects, improving the staffing levels, and handover of Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital (which will ease the pressure on MLKH) among other interventions. Already, the new ICU and Renal facilities are up and running and offering much-needed services to our people," the statement read in part.
