Power cut paralyses services at Webuye hospital
A patient being assisted to Webuye Sub-County hospital on May 26, 2016. Services at the facility were paralysed after power was disconnected due to non payment. PHOTO | GERALD BWISA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Sanitation at the facility has been adversely affected by a shortage of water since there is no power to pump the commodity to reserve tanks.
- Dr Wanyama Khahoya, a senior radiographer at the hospital, said X-ray machines could not work due to lack of power.
Patients at Webuye Sub-County Hospital are facing delays in treatment or are being referred to health facilities in neighbouring counties due to a power crisis in the past one week.
Kenya Power staff disconnected electricity at the hospital on May 19 over unpaid debts amounting to Sh386,000.
The theatre is among the departments hit hard by the crisis, with major operations cancelled.
One patient who was in critical condition was operated on on Thursday, while the rest were referred to other hospitals.
“I was admitted with a stomach problem that requires an operation but doctors cannot perform it because there is no electricity. I, therefore, have to wait a little longer,” said Mrs Elizabeth Barasa from Nasianda.
“I have been to the theatre three times for doctors to operate on my leg and I was supposed to return to the operating room on Tuesday, but nothing has been done as there is no power,” said Mrs Jane Namanda from Misikhu in Bungoma County.
Sanitation at the facility has been adversely affected by a shortage of water since there is no power to pump the commodity to reserve tanks.
Women in the maternity ward are fetching water from a borehole to cater for their needs.
Doctors had difficulty sterilising their equipment, a situation that led them to use small machines.
Dr Wanyama Khahoya, a senior radiographer at Webuye Sub-County Hospital, said X-ray machines could not work due to lack of power. This saw many patients who arrived at the institution as early as 6am waiting for long.
“A number of patients who turned up have to wait outside since we can’t take X-rays at the moment.
CRITICAL CONDITION
“There is no way you can produce an image without power, which means we have to refer some patients in critical condition to other hospitals,” Dr Khahoya told the Nation.
Hospital Superintendent Patrick Mutoro said: “We are worried that the situation might become worse.”
Dr Mutoro told the Nation that power was disconnected over a delay in the payment of a Sh386,000 bill due to financial procedures that have to be followed.
“I informed them that the cheque had been raised but we could not release it until the necessary approval was done, but they went ahead in disconnecting the power,” said Dr Mutoro.
