Mbagathi hospital defends doctor, says patient who died was not neglected

Mbagathi hospital has defended a doctor who has been accused of neglecting a patient leading to his death.

The deceased's cousin, Evans Oluoch, said the "seemingly young lady" was negligent yet he had described the patient's condition as critical.

Oluoch said in his narration of what allegedly transpired that they spoke to a "seemingly old nurse" when they arrived but was told cases like those were only handled at the weekends.

He said in a Facebook post that the nurse asked him to wheel his cousin, identified only as Ben, to a bed after he explained that his was an emergency case.

Oluoch said the doctor was by the bed but did not pay them any attention forcing him to return to the nurse, whom he said was referred to as Karimi.

"The nurse was outside doing a BP check on another patient. I told her my patient was already in bed," he said adding he was told his cousin would be attended to shortly.

He said he then left to buy water for the patient and that on returning, the nurse was away but that the medical officer was free.

Oluoch narrated that the medical officer asked for their referral letter and asked him to hold it up for her to read. He said he told the doctor that Ben's case was critical but that she said it was not.

"She walked away to the next room, sat down, started writing some things on a certain file while going through her phone. I followed her, asked her plans on our patient," he said.

He said she did not respond.

Oluoch said he sought the nurse's help when she returned but that she said the doctor had checked the patient.

He said the doctor told him the patient was fine and would be examined later.

The man noted they arrived at the hospital at about 11.42am and that at 12.53, his wife notified him that Ben was not responding to her calls.

He said he went to check his pulse and found he had died.

"I went back to the doctor who had rubbished my statement regarding my cousin's case and told her in a firm voice, 'I told you but you rubbished my statement, now please go confirm', he said.

"I went on to tell her 'I am holding you entirely responsible'."

Oluoch said a security guard later handed him a phone and that he spoke to a medical superintendent. He said the superintendent insulted him and was rude, and that another guard ensured he deleted a photograph on his phone.

But medical superintendent Andrew Suleh said the doctor implicated in the matter was attending to another patient at the time Oluoch's cousin arrived at the hospital.

"The TB patient was rushed to Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital. He was not talking and it is not clear why he was transferred to Mbagathi," said Suleh.

He told the Star by Phone on Monday that the patient arrived at about 1pm on Saturday and was pronounced dead 30 minutes later.

"He would not have survived even if he had been given drugs," he said. "This is not somebody who woke up well. I wish people would stop cyber bullying."

Suleh said a post by Oluoch that included the nurse's picture left her traumatised.

He added: "The doctor is receiving threats. I expected the family to come to my office and tell me what happened instead of lying."

"How do you say a doctor attending to another patient is negligent?"

The superintendent said he suspected a disagreement may have resulted to the referral from Mama Lucy hospital.

Doctors union secretary general Ouma Oluga told the Star investigations will be carried out and "stern action taken on the man who falsely defamed the doctor".

"Kenyans must desist from cyber-bullying doctors. Doctors do not work in a vacuum. They work because they care about the public," Oluga said.

Daniel Yumbya, who is chief executive of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, said investigations were underway.

"I got information from the Health CS. We have written a letter to Mbagathi hospital requesting them to give us the details of what happened. This will be issued tomorrow (Tuesday)," he said.

Yumbya urged the deceased's family launch a formal complaint with the medical board as "we are looking for a few facts from them".

Health CS Cleopa Mailu ordered the medical services director and county health executive to look into the matter.

"What happened is not acceptable. No patient should ever to be subjected to such," he said.

Source