Faulty Life-Saving Machines at Kenyatta National Hospital Leave Patients in Agony
A break down of three key life-saving machines at the Kenya’s biggest referral hospital, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has reportedly paralyzed key operations at the facility.
Daily Nation reports that KNH has been without the three machines, which include; Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan, a laparoscopy tower machine and a skin grafting machine for the last one year, after they became faulty.
Those who have been hit hard by absence of the aforementioned equipment are cancer patients, who camp at the hospital with hope of getting cancer treatment services.
Paul, who was diagnosed with stage four bladder cancer in 2014 and has been attending weekly check ups at KNH is among those who have been affected by the absence of the machines.
He says that, together with four other patients who suffer from the same ailment have not gotten the services of an MRI machine for over an year now.
“The last time I went to KNH, the attending doctor told me he had borrowed the camera from another hospital to conduct the surgery. When I went for the service again in subsequent months, the doctor said he could not borrow the camera for the second time hence referring me,” said Paul.
He now spends up to Sh340,000 at a private hospital where he was referred to, instead of about Sh30, 000 he spent at Kenyatta National Hospital.
“In the first operation, NHIF paid about 65 per cent of the bill. In the second surgery, which was three months apart, it only footed about 40 per cent, leaving the larger chunk of costs to me.”
“I have been suffering because the tumours lead to bleeding which eventually cause anaemia. This only means that if I do not have the tumours removed, I will need blood transfusion,” he plaintively recounted.
Comments
What a shame, shame shame…
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What a shame, shame shame. Why can't KNH appeal to the well wishers for individual contributions if the government has failed to keep up with maintenance of machines? Chances are, the government has probably given the funds but a thief somewhere took off with the money. One year is a long time for a machine to be broken. Every machine donated or bought should come with identifiable, easy to reach person who can repair it. All machines break down per se. What is the KNH board doing about this. We have to start respecting ourselves and the life of others in Kenya if we expect respect from the rest of the world. These are solvable common sense issues and I am sure Kenyans of good will would be willing to contribute to new machines. What we lack is creativity in solving most of the issues- or should I call it lack of simple common sense on the part of the people entrusted with such tasks and greed and me me me culture. Make no mistake, there are Kenyans with a big, big heart and would be willing to step in.
Shithole republic of Kenya…
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In reply to What a shame, shame shame… by Mwangi (not verified)
Shithole republic of Kenya can take foreign loans to finance their useless katiba and hire a tiny(3500 people) percentage of their population for shs 3b.per month but cannot pay for maintenance of their life-saving machines.The 3500 are 2500 MCAs,500MPs/senators/governors
and their deputies plus 600 ministers.MAGASHIA/MAVI
It's because Kenya SHITholic…
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In reply to What a shame, shame shame… by Mwangi (not verified)
It's because Kenya SHITholic and Corrupt (rigging a Presidential Election 3 Times in a Row).
Don't they lease those…
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Don't they lease those machines that when they broke down they call the manufacturer to send their technicians to fix them? Even if KNH bought them they can assign an agreement with the manufacturers to be fixing those machines. No wonder Trump call them shithole
Hope all those who get mad…
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Hope all those who get mad when Trump calls us shithole countries are reading this. @kenya are you still there? Yes, we are a stinking shithole people.
This comes down to -all…
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This comes down to -all human lives are not equal. If wadosi were using these machines,and not flying to where they dont break, we have them working every day,and backups in storages.
Can the same person tells us…
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Can the same person tells us how many lives the machines have saved lives since they started??Preaching negatives n pple commenting negatives most of the time which has become songs of Solomon??The last time I checked the equipment machines n technology in every western hospitals in diaspora works all the time but still pple die everyday in thousands!Thou this machine need to b fixed ASAP.
Sounds like one of your kins…
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In reply to Can the same person tells us… by Mkenya halisi (not verified)
Sounds like one of your kins work here and you have to defend them. Spare us.
Stop it! Your comments over…
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Stop it! Your comments over time have already established that you were deported from the US because kenya was depriving some village it's idiot.
True, people die everyday everywhere but because of these machines and other affordable medical technology, the life expectancy is kenya is 62yrs and 78yrs in US and 82 in Canada.
An mri machine cost approx. Ksh 30 million in india give or take. Every hospital from level 4-6 should have atleast 2 working 24/7!!!
Thanks mr. ... Some people…
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Thanks mr. ... Some people think that by encouraging and closing their eyes to our mediocre way of doing things they are doing any good to their kins and themselves. Asante sana.
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