Sakaja Fires Mama Lucy Hospital Board After Mishandling 26-Yr-Old Expectant Woman

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja on Monday, April 17 disbanded the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital board moments after a disturbing video of a 26-year-old woman giving birth on the floor of the hospital sparked a nationwide uproar.

In a statement signed by Anastasia Nyalita, County Executive Committee member (CECM) in charge of health, Governor Sakaja replaced the board members by appointing Dorcas Kemunto as the new board chairperson.

Bernard Gituma would serve as Board Secretary while six other new appointees including Christoper Githinji, Jennifer Mumbua, Susan Wanjiru, Yvonne Peris, Ronald Ngala and Fridah Nduati would serve as board members.

Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital in Nairobi. /FILE

Gituma also took over as the medical superintendent, replacing Dr Emma Mutio who was posted to Pumwani Hospital as a specialist.

The statement also noted that the process of recruitment of a substantive CEO for Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital as well as all other Level 5 facilities is ongoing. 

The CEC office narrated the case of the expectant woman who arrived at the hospital on Saturday, April 15 alongside her relatives when she began experiencing lower abdominal pains.

“The lady arrived at the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital on Saturday, April 15 at 5.20 pm in the company of her relatives. The expectant mother complained of lower abdominal pains radiating to the back with increased intensity. The patient also complained that she could not feel regular baby movements,” read part of the statement.

The doctor on call was said to have immediately recommended an ultrasound to validate the lack of foetal heartbeat – at which point the medical team and counsellors at the hospital reportedly informed the patient and her relatives of the ultrasound results which revealed that the baby was already dead.

The CEC office further revealed that the Ultrasound scan results had shown that the patient had experienced an Intrauterine Foetal Death (IUFD) at 38 weeks and 5 days. However, two hours after her arrival, the patient had a stillbirth.

"At 7:20 pm, the patient who was already in labour delivered a macerated (shows skin and soft tissue changes- skin discolouration/darkening, redness, peeling and breakdown) stillbirth male infant with a birth weight of 2,600 grams.

“The medical team showed the patient the baby and informed her that it had passed away 2-3 days before delivery and her visit to the hospital,” read the statement.

Sakaja was revealed in the statement to have personally spoken to the patient and her family, noting that the matter could have been handled better, which led to the swift changes to the hospital board.

"While there have been improvements in the handling of patients and the level of customer service at Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, a lot remains to be done and has been lined up by the County Government.

"This includes the completion of stalled building projects, improving the staffing levels, and handover of Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital (which will ease the pressure on MLKH) among other interventions. Already, the new ICU and Renal facilities are up and running and offering much-needed services to our people," added the statement.

Governor Johnson Sakaja at Kahawa West at St. Joseph Mukasa church on March 12, 2023. /FACEBOOK.JOHNSON SAKAJA