Patients overwhelm coast hospitals, share beds
Mothers sharing a bed after giving birth at Coast Provincial General Hospital, the largest health facility in the region. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mombasa acting Health executive Binti Omar and director of medical services Shem Patta said the hospital is strained in terms of population, with health workers handling more than 45 deliveries daily.
Public hospitals in Mombasa have been forced to allow patients to share beds as many residents flock the facilities with advanced stages of different ailments, thanks to resumption of services after doctors' strike.
Patients from Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Lamu, Tana-River are thronging Coast Provincial General Hospital, the largest health facility in the region, to seek medical services.
A spot check by the Nation.co.ke revealed the hospital was overstretched especially the maternity wing forcing mothers to share beds.
Mombasa acting Health executive Binti Omar and director of medical services Shem Patta said the hospital is strained, with health workers handling more than 45 deliveries daily.
Patients from Kilifi, Kwale, Taita-Taveta, Lamu and Tana River are seeking services at Coast Provincial General Hospital, forcing them to share beds. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
“Previously we could do an average of 30, but both normal and caesarean sections have increased. The staff are actually overstretched but we are recruiting 30 more nurses because that is where we have a shortage,” said Dr Patta.
HOSPITALS FULL
Dr Patta said deliveries at the Mrima Health Centre in Likoni, which was the only facility offering emergency obstetric services, shot up from 240 to 656 in a month.
“They could do almost 150 caesarean section operations in a month,” he added.
Ms Omar said most of the patients seeking healthcare services at the county hospitals are at an acute stage of their illnesses.
“Their conditions are very dire, we can’t afford another strike. The hospitals are full - go to Port Reitz serving Mombasa West and you will see. Others are coming from Mariakani.
"People were sick and lacked a place to go during the nationwide doctors’ strike. Now that operations have normalised more patients are coming,” she added.
She said were it not for the conditional grant from the national government it would have been difficult for the county to offer subsidised medical services.
The largest health facility in the coast region is overstretched, especially the maternity wing, forcing mothers to share beds. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
RISING CASES
Meanwhile, over 400 Mombasa residents benefited from a free medical camp organised by Project Hope Organisation.
The lobby group’s executive director Abdhul Rasheed Sheikh and Dr Tahir Mohammed said they decided to hold the camp due to the rising cases of diabetes and hypertension.
Last year the organisation held a similar medical camp, where 315 people were diagnosed with the diseases.
“[Some] 125 were diagnosed with diabetes and 190 with blood pressure. We provided treatment and they are doing well,” said Dr Mohammed.
Mombasa acting Health executive Binti Omar and director of medical services Shem Patta say the hospital is strained, with health workers handling more than 45 deliveries daily. PHOTO | WINNIE ATIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Mr Sheikh said the camp is part of the organisation's corporate social responsibility that targets residents who suffered during the three months of the doctors’ strike.
“We decided to bring the services to the community after [they suffered] without health care. A majority of those who are suffering from diabetes and hypertension are the elderly and the youths, according to our statistics,” added the 24-year-old law student.
Mr Sheikh, who is seeking to become a member of the county assembly, urged his age-mates to vie for political seats.
“We shouldn’t sit back and complain about corruption when we cannot take the initiative and make a difference,” he added.
