Drama ensued at the Naivasha General Hospital on Friday night after an 8-month-old baby died while undergoing treatment at the health facility.
According to the baby’s parents, the death resulted from the negligence of the doctor in charge, who is alleged to have removed the baby from the oxygen machine prematurely.
The parents claimed that the doctor was in a rush to change duties with his colleague as his shift had ended.
Following the incident, the young couple demanded answers from the doctors given that their daughter had only been admitted for a few hours.
In the process of seeking answers, commotion ensued with security guards forced to intervene.
However, the situation became worse as other patients and visitors, who were also displeased by the incident joined to console the young couple. Some of the patients also tipped off the media.
A witness alleged that the medical officers rushed to have the body transferred to the mortuary to avoid media attention.
“These young nurses are killing our children, even mine is in the ward in a bad condition,” one of the mothers claimed.
As the commotion grew wilder, the hospital administration was then forced to call the police to disperse the crowd. Notably, the police have also been accused of using excessive force and roughing up journalists.
Meanwhile, the hospital's CEO Dr Bernard Warui confirmed that investigations into the incident had been launched.
It was revealed that everyone who was involved in handling the baby before and after the demise will be investigated.
In July 2023, Naivasha Level Four Hospital was put on the spot after a nurse revealed that about 20 babies die at the hospital every month due to a lack of incubators and medication.
Ward representatives from Naivasha during a tour of the facility confirmed the allegations, noting that at least four newborn babies shared an incubator.
