Puzzle Of Increased Deaths at KNH As Oxygen Supplies Sublime

The Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) has been recording increased deaths in the recent past and this time including staffers, inside sources have intimated.

The hospital, which is the biggest referral hospital in the country, has been having challenges with oxygen supply in the last two years, solely because of contracting incapacitated suppliers.

For instance, in 2019, the management awarded a tender for supply and delivery of Medical Gases (liquid oxygen) to a company called Tunasco Limited. The company, according to insiders, never reliably supplied the item for the whole of the year.

“At some point, all theatres were closed for some time just because oxygen was not available. The management was not moved by this because the top guys can access any medical facility of their choice. In fact, none of them has ever been treated in KNH so whatever happens to the normal mwananchi hospitalised there is none of their business. The company had coughed some good money. Their contract was never cancelled up to the end of the period in spite of the non performance,” says a source who sought anonymity.

Read: KNH Doctor Lydia Wahura Takes Own Life At Facility’s Parking Lot

Currently, the tender is held by Noble Gases Intl Ltd. The company has allegedly adopted the same tradition and most of the time oxygen is out of stock. The company does not have ready stocks and relies on imports despite the fact that there are companies in Kenya that reliably manufacture oxygen and comfortably supply to hospitals in Kenya.

Our source intimates that in the last three weeks, KNH has lost close to 10 staff who were being treated there and could not get oxygen in time.

“This has brought a lot of tension in the hospital. Deaths have also increased. If you try to raise any issue, you are demoted, interdicted and threatened. In fact currently, sycophantic juniors are being elevated to supervise and intimidate the firm professionals who try to query any issues and follow  laws,” adds our source.

“Early this year when the matter reached parliament, the management were called by parliament to explain the gross issues. They interdicted some staff in stores and engineering as cover up,” adds our source.

Worse still, fake documents are being used to commission equipment and lifts. Lifts have remained a challenge, where sometimes users are forced to share the lifts with dead bodies being transferred.

“Suppliers are harassed to give out money failure to which the contracts are given to others. If you are in the management and differ with the system you are transferred to the ministry or Othaya as punishment. Staff union was pocketed. We are dying,” laments one of the staffers.

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