The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) is considering the closure of a health facility in Kahawa Wendani after it allegedly refused to provide maternity services to a woman who was forced to give birth by the roadside, just metres from the hospital.   The incident that happened earlier in the week drew widespread public outrage after footage of the facility denying the woman the critical services went viral online.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Witnesses say the woman had first rushed to the nearby medical facility in search of emergency help but was denied access, forcing her to deliver the baby on her own.

In the footage, the owner of the hospital is captured returning the patient, claiming that they were not offering maternity services.

The facility, however, said it was unable to attend to the woman because its available staff were attending to other patients at the time.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to the facility, the clinician on duty was attending to another patient and advised the woman to seek care at a nearby facility. The woman subsequently gave birth a few metres from the facility.

She was later admitted to another hospital, where she received emergency treatment and post-delivery care. Her baby was safely delivered.

KMPDC Director General David Kariuki said investigations established that the facility is registered as a Level 3B health centre.

According to Kariuki, the facility's registration status meant it was expected to handle emergency cases, including providing initial stabilisation to patients requiring urgent medical attention.   "We have confirmed that this facility is registered as a Level 3B that should have the capacity to provide emergency stabilisation services, and due to that reason, the facility has already been earmarked for closure," Kariuki said.

The council's action follows growing calls for accountability and action after the incident, with questions raised about whether a health facility can decline to give critical services to patients.

According to KMPDC, medical facilities are mandated to provide emergency care in a situation such as a maternity emergency, confirming that the hospital in question went against the law.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke