Mbagathi Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Loice Mutai has been accused using dictatorial rules against her junior, exposing them to health risks like Covid-19.
According to some medical practitioners who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, Dr Mutai has been frustrating employees in the institution threatening to have some of the doctors and nurses fired for being against her leadership.
We are also informed that she harasses doctors and nurses in front of patients making it difficult for them to serve clients well.
In a letter addressed to her by nurses representative at Mbagathi Hospital and the chairperson of Kenya National Union of Nurses Nairobi County Mr Boaz Onchari, the hospital has been mixing patients with different infectious ailments, making it risky for health practitioners and health workers..
“It is very disturbing that the hospital administration is forcing nurses to go against their code of ethics as per their mandate to serve more so on what Covid-19 protocols dictate. In the past weeks we have been mixing PTB (Pulmonary tuberculosis) patients with other medical condition which should not be the case. This puts us at a greater risk and exposing our clients knowingly begging the question whether Covid-19 pandemic changed PTB management,” the letter reads in part.
Mr Onchari says that many health workers have gone to quarantine after they were exposed to Covid-19, due to lack of or insufficient personal protective equipment (PPEs).
“It is very unfortunate that we die front line health care workers are the ones now going to quarantine. This has been necessitated by insufficient PPEs and personnel. The ministry of health in their daily updates dictates that as at now we treat all persons as covid positive unless proven by way of testing,” adds the letter.
Read: KNH’s Mbagathi IDU Stops Public Covid-19 Testing, Receiving Referrals From Counties
The letter reveals that Dr Mutai has been directing that the juniors to admit all mothers who visit to seek services from the hospital even when not necessary, making the hospital congested.
According to Mr Onchiri, most wards are manned by one nurse during the night.
The workers are now demanding that the administration moves with speed to ensue mass testing is done among the staffers, and adequate PPEs provided.
“The administration (should) embrace the downward referral system that was and is in place for this will not only save on turnaround time of the patient but also improve on quality of care. The administration (should also) embrace dialogue among staff rather than deploying dictatorship kind of leadership,” adds the letter.
The administration has been given 48 hours to address the issues, before the Union is involved and the labour offices, the occupational health and safety offices for further action.
Here is the letter.
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