Charles Wanyoro
21 September 2008
Nairobi — For many mothers, the birth of a child is a time of great joy. But for women who give birth at Meru District Hospital in Imenti North District, their thoughts are focused on escaping conditions they describe as "pathetic".
One of these mothers, Ms Joy Gacheri, told the Nation she was happy to be leaving the hospital after three days.
"It is very difficult to sleep because one has her child, while at the same time sharing a bed with another lactating mother," she said.
Ms Gacheri says that it is difficult to get personal attention due to overcrowding.
Overwhelmed
And as a breastfeeding mother in a public ward, she had to depend mostly on food from outside to supplement the diet.
"Unlike those in the private wing, we are not served with meat and adequate fruits," she said.
These are some of the patients' daily concerns at Meru District Hospital, the largest referral medical institution in the upper Eastern region.
The hospital, built in the 1930s, is overwhelmed by the high population in the eight Meru districts, as well as Moyale, Isiolo and Marsabit. Though the bed capacity is 274, there are as many as 500 people in the wards.
However, in some areas, the hospital has made big strides. It appears quite clean, and has sufficient clean piped water. Diets at the wards are also varied, with those in the private wing eating balanced meals including meat and fruits.
But those in the public ward have to make do with a routine diet of boiled maize and beans (githeri), rice or ugali, accompanied by under-cooked cabbage.
Long queue
Inadequate staffing appears to be the biggest problem though. An employee said the hospital receives an average of 320 patients daily, and employees are overwhelmed by the work.
On this day, the Nation interviewed Mr Joseph Magaju, who was suffering from malaria, and arrived at the hospital at 9am but left at 12.30.
Visibly in pain, Mr Magaju, 42, withstood the long queue until he saw the doctor.
But before consulting with the doctor, the patient who had travelled about 5 kilometres from Nkubu Town, had to queue for registration, see the doctor, pay for the medicine, then go to the pharmacy to verify whether the medicine is available.
Magaju then had to return to the cashier again before going to the pharmacy for the medicine he had paid for. All was well until Magaju reached the cashier's counter.
The male attendant was rude and even slammed the window, claiming the patients had not queued properly. By the time we left the counter 15 minutes later, the cashier had not yet resumed work and Mr Magaju was served elsewhere.
The patient expressed his frustration, but said since the hospital is the most affordable, he will keep returning. "If we had an alternative hospital around, I would have gone there but now I must persevere," said Mr Magaju.
Medical officer of health James Gitonga acknowledges the problems at Meru District hospital, and said officials have already written a proposal seeking funds for expansion.
Donor support
The hospital relies mostly on donor support. Its paediatric ward was built by local philanthropist Rahim Dawood while the Meru Lions Club has started a project to build a 6-bed Intensive Care Unit.
The hospital does not have a maternity theatre, and delivery by Caesarean section is done in the main theatre, a situation Dr Gitonga says interferes with procedures in the main wards.
He says the hospital also needs an emergency casualty theatre to make work easier.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
