The National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) has criticised a report that acquited doctors from blame in the Kenyatta National Hospital surgery mix-up.
In a statement to media houses on Sunday NNAK Chairman Alfred Obengo maintained that the report shifted the blame to nurses for the mix-up at KNH.
“While we equally question the legality of the preliminary enquiry, we state here categorically that it's technically impossible to pretend come out with any iota of substantive findings within 24 hours on an issue of such magnitude," Obengo stated.
“As nurses, we view that preliminary enquiry process and report as skewed to favour the doctors and a futile attempt to cleanse themselves in the court of public opinion,” he added.
[caption caption="KNH) operation victim John Nderitu watches as his mother Veronica Wanjiru"]
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The report on the KNH surgery mix up recommended that the nurse involved in the mix-up be probed on whether she was fit to work in the environment.
A team constituted by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists’ Board and made up of officials from other medical professions in Kenya came up with the report which NNAK stated was doctored.
The committee which was investigating the surgery mix-up indicated that Mary Wahome, the nurse involved in the mix-up, should be further probed to determine if she is still fit to serve in the environment.
“The committee further finds the capability of nurse Mary Wahome to work in specific units of the hospitals needs to be considered by her regulator the Nursing Council of Kenya as she testified that she had been unwell for several months after she had been involved in an accident and had not fully recovered,” Dr Jackson Kioko, Director of Medical Services stated.
The committee also found out that the hospital had standard operating procedures for the various processes but they had not been implemented them.
[caption caption="KNH doctors appearing before the Parliamentary Health Committee"]
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“Dr Peter Masinde, the acting director of clinical services at KNH, admitted that the standard operating procedures were just there on paper but had never been used as would have been expected.
