More radical changes are expected in the Kitale District Hospital following its sorry state compounded by lack of drugs despite the county government efforts to purchase more drugs last month. The situation that worsened recently forced nurses to refer patients to Kapenguria and to private hospitals in Kitale due to lack of drugs.
By last week, the hospital pharmacy shop was empty with no drugs as residents transferred their beloved ones to private hospitals for proper medication.
Two camps have emerged at the hospital with one supporting the chief in charge of health Maurice Wakwabubi and another group opposing him. Sources say those against Wakwabubi and the county executive in charge of health John Ndombi allege the two had locked drugs in the government building at Mea Ltd in town and were transported later to the hospital after the information spread everywhere up to social media with pictures on how the hospital was looking questioning the duo for poor service delivery in Governor Patrick Khaemba’s government.
The group supporting Wakwabubi and John Ndombi say there were enough drugs in the hospital but the drugs were hidden somewhere in the hospital building by the enemies of the two officers so that Khaemba sees the duo as nonperformers. Wakwabubi and Ndombi blamed the county pharmacist and his team for hiding drugs and sabotaging them with Khaemba government wondering why these enemies were hiding public drugs meant for patients. Speaking to press, nurses who had found it difficult to work wondered why the officers where not disbursing drugs saying they had begun to refer patients to private hospitals.
Efforts to get Ndombi did not bear fruits as his chief officer said it was the plan of his enemies to hide the drugs from the hospital pharmacy shop making patients to buy everything from outside the hospital that they should receive freely. “When it comes to health issues we don’t compromise people’s lives. We are asking Khaemba to sit down in a round table with his officers and crack the whip. For us juniors to get and inform him on drugs issue is hard. It’s like seeing God since one of us was restricted from seeing the governor by those who surrounds him,’’ a nurse claimed.
In maternity ward women were being sent to purchase gloves, cotton, spirit among other items needed for them to deliver as richer women look for private health facilities to deliver. Why drugs were not disbursed or were hidden leaving patients in danger is now the question. Sources said Khaemba held a meeting without Ndombi to discuss the health issues that had sent wrong signals to people of Trans Nzoia that Khaemba is leading. Wakwabubi refuted claims that he was the one who did not disburse the said drugs worth Sh29million saying his enemies are the ones doing this evil plans against him. “We disbursed drugs that the county government had procured so I’m wondering the game that my fellow colleagues are playing but it will backfire as we get the truth,’’ lauded Wakwabubi.
Residents now want the governor with his executive in charge of health to come out and clear the rumours that might cost his politics in the county and explain why the hospital that serves patients from Kapenguria, Bungoma and even Uganda was said to lack drugs while thecounty government had procured drugs worth Sh29million to be disbursed to various health facilities in the county.
Residents want Khaemba to reshuffle Ndombi and county pharmacist from health. Deputy governor Stanely Kenei Tarus said they are not aware that the hospital had no drugs adding that the county had procured drugs last month and was astonished how drugs were unavaailable. There must be something wrong with our officers. We need to act on this immediately,’’ he paused in a phone.
Political analyst in the county Joseph Masta says if Khaemba will not wake up somebody some sleep.
Masta says that health issue does not need politics or tribalism adding that any nurse or doctor is entitled to work everywhere asking leaders in the county to play with politics outside the health sector. The shortage of drugs in the district hospital brought different reactions in the county as some say it was deal for the public to see that Khaemba has found difficult to deliver while he is working hard to deliver. Recently Khaemba signed an MoU with industrial and commercial development cooperation that will see Trans Nzoia have a milling plant same to MoU that was signed two weeks ago with Indian government to have Soil Testing Centre that will serve the East Africa Communities that include Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania and irrigation project that will benefit residents of Trans Nzoia and China MoU.
Masta says if the named projects above take place it will boost Khaemba’s politics and he will have a high chance to remain in power come 2017. Another group says it was a county deal so that the public can see the importance of having a referral hospital.
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