Shortage of health workers cripples Coast hospital services

A crisis is looming at the Coast General Hospital due to a shortage of health workers.

Theatre and maternity wards have borne the brunt of the shortfall occasioned by introduction of free delivery services and failure to hire more workers.

Patients complain of long queues and others opt to be transferred to private hospitals.

It is alleged that doctors only attend to the sick when it is convenient for them.

Ms Claris Naja, a relative to one of the patients, claims she was told her sister would be attended to after two months.

“My sister is diabetic and has developed a rather serious wound that requires urgent operation but when I was informed that she has been booked for November, I had to transfer her to a private facility before the infection spreads to the rest of the body,” she said.

WORK IN SHIFTS

However Mr Peter Muroko, Kenya National Union of Nurses Coast chapter chairman said there are only 15 nurses working in shifts at the theatre, half the number required.

“Four nurses are supposed to care for a patient before, during and after an operation but sometimes patients are forced to make do with three nurses or less,” he said.

Chief Administrator Bernard Mwero confirmed that the hospital is facing shortage of staff and urged patients to bear with them as they address the matter.

“The whole hospital needs about 700 nurses and this is as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards but we are working with about half of that figure, yet the public want quality service,” Dr Mwero told Nation.co.ke during an interview at his office on Wednesday.

FREE MATERNITY

He also reiterated that the free maternity service recently launched by the government has increased their workload worsening the situation.

“After the roll-out of the programme, work increased but the number of nurses has not changed,” he said.

Dr Mwero said the last time nurses were hired was during the economic stimulus programme.