Alarm as more patients jump to death at KNH

At least 10 patients jump to their death from Kenyatta National Hospital’s tower every year, casting a dark shadow over East Africa’s biggest referral medical facility.

“One to two patients commit suicide every month. They jump through the unguarded windows at the tower block,” according to the hospital’s head of Mental Health, Dr Margaret Mak’Anyengo.

The trend has been on the rise and could get worse if the situation is not addressed fast, Dr Mak’Anyengo warns.

She attributes the suicides to depression and mental disorders.

“Most of the patients brought into the hospital do not have obvious signs of depression and are just diagnosed for primary ailment. When they get admitted, they get the perfect opportunity to commit suicide.

“They develop a feeling that the primary disease is a big burden to them, driving them to take away their lives,” she said.

Most of those who commit suicide are usually admitted with life-threatening ailments like Aids, cancer, blood sugar and meningitis. Many young people are also victims of drug and alcohol addiction and abuse, a key driver of depression and suicide at KNH.

Patients aged between 20 and 40 have suicidal tendencies, the medic said.

Statistics at the hospital show that at least 4,000 youths sought treatment for mental disorders including depression at the institution in 2013. This figure might surpass the 5,000 mark before the end of this year, according to projections.

STRAINING ITS CAPACITY

KNH receives a huge number of patients from across the country and the rest of East Africa daily, straining its capacity.

“The hospital does not have enough staff; as a result patients are not checked for signs of depression when they are being admitted. They are only checked for primary ailments,” Dr Mak’Anyengo said.

Depression goes unnoticed at this early stage, only to rear its head once the patients get to the wards.

One of the signs that a patient is depressed is restlessness and a habit to walk to the windows. A well-trained psychiatric nurse should be able to discern these signs and take necessary action.

Unfortunately, the hospital has only two psychiatric nurses and two psychologists.

“One psychologist nurse went on leave; we are now left with only one. The field of mental health is too wide and we require many more specialised nurses and clinical psychologists at the hospital,” said Dr Mak’Anyengo.

There are only six psychiatrists at KNH out of the total of 80 in the country. Most of them are in private practice in Nairobi, said Dr Mak’Anyengo.

Low funding from the government makes it difficult for hospitals to allocate adequate funds for mental health services.

The health sector was allocated Sh34 billion by the Treasury in 2013/2014 budget - a mere 6.2 per cent of the national Budget. Out of this KNH got Sh200 million.

This was increased to Sh47.4 billion in the 2014/2015 financial year, with KNH expected to receive Sh8.4 billion.

In an earlier interview, the hospital’s spokesperson, Mr Simon Ithae, said it was not possible to put up grills on the tower block as structural engineers had advised that the building cannot sustain more weight.

The only option for the hospital is to construct new wards to contain the suicide numbers.

“The architects at that time did not consider the plight of patients. They never put into consideration that they could fall or jump from the building. I would recommend a facility which goes up to the second floor for wards for the sake of safety for patients,” said Dr Mak’Anyengo.

However, the hospital obtained special permission to grill the children’s wards located on the third floor of the tower block.

Dr Mak’Anyengo called for the enactment into law, of the Counsellors, Psychologists and Psychotherapists Bill, 2013. The law will help hospitals across the country to deal with mental cases, reducing pressure on KNH.