Help at last for baby born with rare birth defect

The Mombasa baby who was born with a blocked anal passage underwent corrective surgery on Monday after county health bosses intervened.

Baby Islam Saidi was born with the condition known as “imperforate anus’’ at the Coast General Hospital last Thursday but could not be treated because of the doctors strike. The condition affects one in every 1,000 births in Mombasa.

His distraught mother, Ms Mbeyu Kijana, told the Nation at the hospital on Sunday: “My boy is now excreting through his mouth and his stomach has swelled. I don’t have money to take him to a private hospital.”

However, it was a huge relief for the family after the county’s health bosses intervened.

Dr Khadija Shikely, the director of health, and hospital administrator Benjamin Mwero were among the doctors who oversaw the operation.

At the time of going to press, the baby had been moved from the theatre to the Intensive Care Unit.

SUCCUMBED TO HIS INJURIES

But the road accident patient, whose picture the Daily Nation published on Monday, was not as lucky.

Mr Tingoi ole Lengu, 35, succumbed to his injuries because of what a hospital source said was lack of urgent intensive care management.

A doctor, who did not want to be named, said Mr Lengu could not survive without ICU intervention since he had internal bleeding which needed surgery.

And on Monday, the county government set a Friday deadline for payment of doctors salaries to end the strike that has so far claimed four lives.

Doctors at the Coast General Hospital have downed their tools and other health workers are on a go-slow over unpaid July salaries, shortage of drugs, equipment and staff.

After a series of meetings with the workers on Monday, senior county officials announced that July salaries for all workers would be paid by Friday.

“Friday is our deadline. But for those whose banks are fast enough, we expect their salaries will be processed by tomorrow or Wednesday,” County Secretary Hamisi Mwanguya told the Nation.

'DID NOT GIVE NOTICE'

He expressed disappointment that the doctors went on strike without giving the county government a notice.

“We have made contingency plans and services are getting back to normal at the hospital but we can say we do not know why they are on strike because they did not give us notice,” Mr Mwaguya said shortly before a meeting with the doctors’ representatives.

Also in the meeting were Health Executive Binti Omar and Dr Shikely. As a result of the meetings, nurses called off their strike scheduled for Wednesday.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, which represents doctors, also asked its members to resume work.

The union’s deputy secretary general, Dr Abidan Mwachi, a surgeon at the hospital, said doctors had been assured they would get their salaries by Friday.

“There is no further need for agitation. Doctors should go back to work. However, we are joining the referendum push for Kenyans… we want more funds for health care. If you devolve health care system you must have a mechanism of paying doctors and nurses,” Dr Mwachi said.