A number of public hospitals in Nairobi County are in a crisis that renders them inadequate to serve the health demands of the city residents.
The hospitals are understaffed, poorly managed in some cases, mismanaged in others and lack essential drugs almost throughout the year.
This is according to a report released by the County Assembly Sectoral Committee on Health Services.
The committee members cited two cases -Umoja 1 and Jericho health centres- of how bad the situation is.
They found out that patients are being forced to buy medicine from elsewhere as the two health centers are in perpetual lack of even basic drugs.
Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) has been charged with supplying drugs to public hospitals in Kenya.
The situation currently, however, is far from what would be expected with such a body in place.
According to the report, the last time drugs were supplied to the two health centers used as case studies was in August 2014.
Even more shocking, were details revealing the possibility of patients catching new infections, as patients with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis are not isolated from other patients.
Disturbingly, despite serving thousands of Kenyans, the two health centers have no medical doctors.
Jericho Health Center which serves up to 400 patients daily, has only five clinical officers while Umoja 1 Health Center has only two clinical officers despite receiving between 150 and 200 patients per day.
The number of patients one clinical officer has to deal with, is simply overwhelming.
Committee chair Manoah Mboku has called for immediate action by the government to salvage the dire situation that is the health sector in Nairobi.
