No, we did not turn away ambulance patient, hospital says
Nairobi Women’s Hospital has come out to refute media reports that it denied treatment to an accident survivor who had spent 18 hours in an ambulance.
Mr Alex Madaga, 37, died last Friday at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) after going into a coma.
Mr Madaga was knocked down by a speeding car on Waiyaki Way on Monday at about 9pm and taken to Kikuyu Mission Hospital where doctors referred him to KNH for specialised treatment.
The emergency medical workers rushed him to Nairobi Women’s Hospital at Adam’s Arcade, but nurses there could not take him in because all ICU beds were occupied.
The ambulance then left for Kenyatta National Hospital. However, doctors there said they did not have a place for the critically injured man because all their 21 ICU beds were fully occupied.
The ambulance later left for Coptic Hospital on Ngong road. The hospital said it had an ICU bed but demanded Sh200,000 upfront for Madaga to be admitted.
The ambulance later drove to Ladnan Hospital, another private institution in Pangani, where they were also asked to pay Sh200,000 upfront.
Nairobi Women’s Hospital Group Chief Executive Dr Sam Thenya on Wednesday said some sections of the media had been misrepresenting facts on the matter.
He said Mr Madaga’s case ” highlights the critical challenges facing both the public and private health sectors when it comes to handling emergencies.”
