The report also indicated that security had been enhanced at the hospital and more security personnel are still being hired/COSMUS MWONGELA
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 31 – A preliminary report by the Parliamentary Committee on Health has failed to ascertain allegations of attempted rape of female patients at the Kenyatta National Hospital.
This emerged when the committee made a tour of the hospital on Wednesday and engaged with patients in different wards during a fact-finding mission.
Baringo County Woman Representative Gladwell Cheruiyot a member of the committee said they held one-on-one conversations with female patients who said the allegations were false.
“We have visited the wards and on asking the mothers what they are answering is that since they came to this facility they have never come across one of their own who has been raped, but they have some kind of fear of the unknown which they have inherited. We are asking the management of Kenyatta National Hospital to clear the fear from the patients,” said Cheruiyot.
The report also indicated that security had been enhanced at the hospital and more security personnel are still being hired.
Last week the Chief Executive Officer of Kenyatta Hospital Lily Koros told the committee that since she took over the reins at the hospital in 2014, the management has never received any complaints of sexual harassment from its patients.
However the Directorate of Criminal Investigations is yet finalized investigations on the claims.
After visiting various wards and departments, the committee also made key observations.
They noted that the hospital has inadequate staff to handle the large numbers of patients who visit the hospital on a daily basis.
The facility is short of 1,200 workers.
The bed capacity is still an issue as the number of patients surpasses the number of available beds.
The equipment was also found out to be inadequate, old and some even outdated.
The members of the committee promised to address those issues during their sittings.
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