The Nakuru County Government has denied that over 20 newborn babies are dying at the cash-strapped Naivasha Sub-County Hospital every month.
The County in a fire-fighting exercise noted that the hospital which also serves part of neighbouring counties of Narok and Nyandarua had lost 24 minors in the last three months.
Early in the week, the committee on health from the county assembly was informed by the health workers that the facility was losing between 20 and 25 newborns every month.
During a fact-finding mission, it emerged that over 60 per cent of medical machines had broken down, suppliers were owed over Ksh 300 million and patients had challenges getting food.
But the CEC for Health Jacqueline Osore downplayed this noting that the Level IV hospital was among one of the best equipped and funded facilities in the county.
Addressing the press after visiting the facility, she said that between April and June, the hospital recorded 1,452 deliveries with 24 dying either at birth or on arrival.
“The maternity wing has six incubators and all are working and the information about losing 25 minors every month is totally wrong,” she said.
Osore added that plans were underway to equip the newly constructed wing at a cost of Sh300m noting that this would help improve service delivery.
“The President has promised that the national government will help equip Nakuru PGH and Naivasha Hospital in the coming months,” she said.
The CEC attributed the staff crisis in the hospital to the end of the contract of several workers adding that the process of replacing them was going on.
On the Sh300m owed to suppliers, she said that the hospital accrued the bills during the Covid-19 pandemic adding that the county was working to pay the debts.
“The hospital revenue in the last quarter has risen from Sh50m to Sh76m and this is what the hospital is using to buy drugs from KEMSA,” she said.
The Director of Medical Services in the county Dr Daniel Wainaina said that the issue of diet mainly in the maternity wing had been addressed.
“We have adequate food supplies for all patients in the wards and we are keen on their diet as part of their treatment,” he said.
The Superintendent in charge of the facility Dr Bernard Warui downplayed the crisis in the laboratory where all machines had broken down.
“We have enough and working machines in the laboratory contrarily to other reports and services in the facility are running smoothly,” he said.
