Nurse’s death exposes Homa Bay Covid weaknesses
Homa Bay nurse Marian Awuor Adumbo who died from Covid-19 on August 2, 2020.
What you need to know:
- Senate committee members demanded from Governor Cyprian Awiti and Health executive Richard Muga, who appeared before it yesterday, details behind the circumstances that led to her death.
- The county has also been accused of failing to pay the health care workers on time.
- For 22 days now, residents have had to seek services in the neighbouring counties following a stalemate between the county government and health workers.
Revelations that the Homa Bay nurse who died in Kisii could not get services in her home county have exposed the lack of preparedness in some devolved units.
It has emerged that the family of the late Marianne Awuor, who was a nurse at Rachuonyo South Sub-County Hospital, had to pay penalties and remit money to the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for them to take care of her treatment.
Yesterday, members of the Senate Committee on Health sought answers on what led to the death of the medic, the stalemate between the county and the health care workers and how they spent part of the Sh5 billion Covid-19 grant given to the counties by the national government.
Specifically, committee members demanded from Governor Cyprian Awiti and Health executive Richard Muga, who appeared before it yesterday, details behind the circumstances that led to her death. They also demanded that the county provides a timeline on when it was going to pay and remit statutory deductions of health workers.
Prof Muga said Ms Awuor had requested to be transferred to Kisii Referral Hospital to see her personal gynaecologist.
“This was a self-referral ... that is why she was transferred ... she did not use the county ambulance because it was an emergency,” Prof Muga told the committee.
However, according to a letter written by the widower, Mr Stephen Okal Oketch, Ms Awuor was transferred when she developed breathing problems and there was no functional intensive care unit and specialist in Homa Bay County to attend to her.
“There is (only) a brick and mortar ICU. Just beds ... even the ambulance is not operational that’s why we had to wait for long for the Red Cross ambulance to transfer her to Kisii,” he said.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union Nyanza chairman Kevin Osuri told the committee that Ms Awuor did not leave the hospital where she was admitted to a private clinic but went because there was no oxygen in Oyugis and she had difficulties breathing.
He said Ms Awuor was first referred to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital but it was full.
The county has also been accused of failing to pay the health care workers on time and remitting their statutory deductions on time leading to most of the health care workers striking.
For 22 days now, residents have had to seek services in the neighbouring counties following a stalemate between the county government and health workers.
