The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) is considering the closure of a health facility in Kahawa Wendani.
This was after the facility allegedly refused to provide maternity services to a woman who was forced to give birth by the roadside, just metres from the hospital.
According to reports, the incident drew widespread public outrage after footage of the facility denying the woman the critical services went viral online.
According to sources, 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.
However, said it was unable to attend to the woman because its available staff were attending to other patients at the time.
The facility explained that the clinician on duty was attending to another patient and advised the woman to seek care at a nearby facility, whereby the woman subsequently gave birth a few metres from the facility.
In response to the matter, KMPDC Director General David Kariuki said investigations established that the facility is registered as a Level 3B health centre.
According to KMPDC, the facility’s registration status meant it was expected to handle emergency cases, including providing initial stabilisation to patients requiring urgent medical attention.
The commission further clarified that 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.
