Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA) has urged the Kisii county government to provide adequate personnel, medical equipment and additional infrastructure at Magena Dispensary in Kenyenya Sub County.
Led by Kisii Woman Representative Dorice Aburi, the women parliamentarians decried the deplorable state of the facility saying the dispensary was understaffed, poorly-lit and lacked the critical infrastructure needed to deliver health services to the residents.
The Women MPs had visited the facility after a 27-year-old woman, Phanice Ratemo, died at the dispensary after experiencing prolonged labour pains two weeks ago.
The incident, which went viral on social media, attracted public outcry with residents accusing the hospital’s management of failing to handle any possible underlying threat to the health of the deceased.
According to Aburi, the death of Ratemo could have been avoided if the facility had the necessary medical equipment required to run the maternity wing of the facility.
“Our visit to this Dispensary has revealed that it lacks the basic requirements such as medicine and diagnostic tools needed to operate a health facility,” said the Kisii Woman Rep.
Her counterpart from Kisumu County, Ruth Odinga decried the poor standards of hygiene at the maternity ward and called for urgent interventions to improve the services.
Ms. Odinga also urged the security agencies to conduct speedy investigations into the death incident and ensure anyone found to have acted negligently would face the full force of the law.
“The case of Ratemo indicates that she was in pain for more than 24 hours and this should have prompted the medical team to refer the patient to another hospital for the necessary treatment,” she noted.
The Woman Rep said the death of the woman should be an eye-opener for the relevant health stakeholders to come together and discuss ways of reducing maternal deaths in the country.
Similarly, Vihiga Woman MP Dr. Beatrice Adagala called upon the Ministry of Health to visit the facility so that they can advise on the best way to support the infrastructural development of the Dispensary.
“We are not going to lose mothers while giving birth at this healthy facility, let the government renovate and equip it with the required medical equipment,” said Dr. Adagala.
By Mercy Osongo
