Samburu County Referral Hospital runs out of TB drugs
A man taking TB drugs at a Nairobi clinic. Patients suffering from TB in Maralal town are now living in fear due to lack of essential drugs at the Samburu County Referral Hospital. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Patients are hopeful that they will find relief, even though they might be forced to begin treatment afresh.
- Efforts by the Nation to get a comment from the hospital’s administration were unsuccessful.
- Journalists were barred from entering the hospital.
Patients suffering from tuberculosis (TB) in Maralal town, Samburu County are now living in fear due to lack of essential drugs at the Samburu County Referral Hospital.
According to patients who spoke to the Nation, since Monday last week, their visits in search of the drugs have been futile.
"I have TB and have been coming here since Monday but there are no drugs. I’m not alone, we are many; we don’t know what to do. We are afraid that we might succumb to TB or even spread this disease to other people,” said Mr Francis Lotukai, a TB patient.
RESTART TREATMENT
But despite the fears, some patients like John Mwangi of Loikas village within Maralal town are hopeful that they will find relief, even though they might be forced to begin treatment afresh.
“I’m suffering from TB and since last Monday I have not taken my drugs. At first I was afraid I might die but now am hopeful I will be okay. We just hope we won't be told to start the treatment afresh when the drugs arrive,” he said.
Efforts by the Nation to get a comment from the hospital’s administration were unsuccessful as journalists were barred from entering the hospital.
Security officers at the hospital said they had been warned by their boss not to allow journalists in.
