Lengthy waits mark hospital visits

A cancer patient waited six hours to see a doctor at Nyeri Provincial General Hospital and was then referred to a private hospital for medical tests.

This was the first time that Mr Wanjohi Kimotho had visited the institution for specialised treatment.

Not only would he struggle to find the funds to access the services at a private facility, he also bore the stress of having to delay urgently needed testing.

And as if that was not agony enough, Mr Kimotho had to wait for two more hours to book an appointment for his next visit.

For him, the search for treatment has been a long and painful one.

Essential drugs

The Nation caught up with him in the hospital’s waiting bay on a subsequent visit. He had spent five hours, but had not seen a doctor. The queues were long and the staff lethargic.

Similar stories are repeated throughout Nyeri’s main public hospital.

Officials say lack of essential drugs and equipment result in most patients being referred to other facilities.

Long queues and patients sleeping on benches are an every day occurrences due to insufficient staff.

Hospital medical superintendent Samuel Ngugi says the infrastructure is also inadequate. At present, there are only 379 beds, yet 1,000 are needed.

Dr Ngugi says lack of resources has slowed down renovation of old buildings and the construction of new ones to bridge the deficit.

In several wards visited by the Nation, some patients shared beds; others complained of lack of warm bedding and poor diet.

“We are fed on rice and ugali accompanied by either boiled beans or cabbage which can only be replaced with green grams with the intervention of the doctor,” said Mr James Wahome, an in-patient.

If they are lucky, they receive two oranges per week. Some patients wear extra clothing to beat the chilly weather.

Proper hygiene lacks. The wards are cleaned once in the morning, and the floors swept occasionally during the day.

Other patients complain that it takes three days or more to have a change of bedding.

Dr Ngugi says most of these problems stem from an acute shortage of staff. The hospital has 14 doctors, when the minimum requirement is 12 and 14 interns. There are 244 nurses against a requirement of 400.