The loss of a loved one is a painful experience. Even in instances where they suffered through a long illness, letting go of them is never easy. But the loss of a loved one is worse in cases where it could have been avoided as in cases of negligence in the hospital.

Time and time again journalists have covered cases where a person dies in hospital because a medical officer did not attend to them when they should have.

These events are then followed by chest thumping politicians who visit the hospitals and condemn the act. Some even go further to fire those suspected to have a hand in this while recommending disciplinary action to others.

But as soon as the cameras go off and the notebooks are closed, business goes on as usual. Everything goes back to being the same except for the family who are left struggling to come to terms with the absence of their loved one.

That these cases keep recurring in various hospitals in Nakuru is proof that knee jerk reactions are not the solution. Negligence is not something that should happen especially in a job where the professionals took an oath to preserve human life come what may.

County Governments must conduct thorough investigations to establish the circumstances around which a life is lost in the very place that people go to seeking for help. Only when the root cause is established can a lasting solution be found.

The Kenya Medical Association and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council should also follow up on these cases and help ensure medical officers found guilty are rid of their licenses and deemed unable to practice medicine in this country.

There must also be a way to have the families compensated without the tedious court process that at times takes years to be concluded.

Government Must Deal With Negligence Once and For All

Author Spotlight

Reitz Mureithi