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Bereaved family in Mbagathi patient negligence case to get hearing

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI September 14th, 2016 2 min read

The family of a patient who died while awaiting treatment at Mbagathi District Hospital narrated their ordeal during the State House health summit and were assured of a hearing by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board.

The late Bernard Odhiambo’s cousin Evans Oluoch narrated the heartbreaking ordeal at the city hospital and the board Chairman, Daniel Yumbya, assured Kenyans that the case will be heard on Friday.

Mr Oluoch narrated how the hospital’s medical doctor on duty refused to attend to his late cousin saying the case was not urgent. Almost an hour after arriving at the hospital the patient died.

Mr Yumbya who was among panelists on Tuesday said he could not discuss in details the case as it was scheduled for hearing on Friday.

When asked to comment generally on the attitude of medical practitioners in the country, the Chairman admitted that cases related to practitioners’ attitude were indeed many and the board after determination of cases has suspended dozens of doctors’ licenses and deregistered one doctor.

DEREGISTERED

“The end result is that the board decided to introduce the CBP that they talked about and that is what involves the attitude and training the doctors, nurses and other health care workers,” said Mr Yumbya.

He further urged Kenyans not to blanket all medical practitioners as having attitude and instead deal with individual practitioners by lodging complaints with the board which after determination always gives guidance on whether the practitioner should be deregistered or suspended.

“Others have been given severe penalties including suspension of their licenses for a period of two years others between six months to two years and others ordered to go for retraining for a period not exceeding 12 months,” said Mr Yumbya.

The family of the late Odhiambo believes that his life would have been saved had the medical doctor on duty on the fateful day treated his case as urgent.

“Even the officer who filled the death notification admitted that if the doctor had acted promptly my cousin’s life could have been saved. We are hoping for justice so that all Kenyans can be given the medical attention they deserve,” said Mr Oluoch.