Sonko’s Latest Move to Give the Dead a Perfect Resting Place Excites Many

Governor Mike Sonko is one of those few governors that actually speak and act. After the unpleasant expose’ made at the Pumwani Hospital on the mysterious death of infants, the governor has now moved with speed to restore Pumwani hospital to the required standards.

A preliminary report on the deaths of 12 babies at Pumwani Hospital, Nairobi County found that five of them died under unclear circumstances.

The bodies were found in boxes, raising the question of the availability of proper facilities at the hospital, including a holding room for bodies.

An earlier report established that the hospital lacked a holding room for bodies.

“It is not only unacceptable but also unhygienic and ironic that the hospital lacks enough ambulances to respond to emergency cases and uses vehicles for the deceased,” said Daniel Yumbya, the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) while presenting findings of a probe conducted at the hospital.

Mr Yumbya also questioned the hospital’s transportation of the dead to City Mortuary in ambulances meant for patients instead of hearses.

He also Pumwani hospital does not have enough workers.

Governor Mike Sonko and his administration are in the final stages of rehabilitating the Pumwani Hospital to ensure the facility offers quality maternal care to mothers. The hospital is now fully equipped with a new cold room, new oxygen plant and a modern surgical unit for deliveries.

In September,Mike Sonko suspended County Secretary Peter Kariuki and acting Health executive Vesca Kangogo over insubordination in the Pumwani Hospital saga. This was after the governor found bodies of 12 babies in boxes.

The nurses at the hospital on the other hand complained about poor working conditions, saying facilities are inadequate yet about 1,700 women give birth monthly.

“Imagine 160 nurses helping all these women to deliver. We should have 448 nurses on a daily basis if we are to operate optimally,” said Ediah Muruli, a former Pumwani Hospital nurse and the KNUN Nairobi branch secretary.

The hospital currently has a total of 159 nurses, with the labour ward assigned seven during the day and six at night. This means it falls short of the World Health Organization’s requirement of at least 10 nurses per ward.

Nairobi residents have thanked Governor Sonko for a job well done but urged him to ensure more personnel are employed at the facility. They have also asked him to ensure that their is proper maintenance of the new machines at the facility.

Do you think Sonko’s latest move will help better Services at Pumwani Hospital?

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