Pumwani hospital hit by water crisis
Pregnant women at Pumwani Hospital are being forced to sleep on beds without linen because of water shortage.
For two weeks, the hospital has been affected by water rationing, forcing the management to buy water from bowsers, which staff members claim may not be clean.
An expectant woman who had come for checkup and who only identified herself as Wangeci said the problem was worse for those who had come to deliver.
“The women are forced to sleep on beds without any sheets and sometimes there are no gowns for those being taken to the theatre because there is no water to clean the linen.
“The little water available is used to clean the wards and toilets,” said Wangeci.
The only borehole in Pumwani Hospital, which is supposed to operate as a backup, has not been in operation for a long time and attempts to repair it have not been successful.
Staff at the hospital claimed the problem occurred every time there was shortage in parts of Eastleigh.
Pumwani Maternity Hospital CEO Dr Omondi Kuba denied there was a crisis.
He said the county government had stepped in to avert any crisis.
“We are constructing a new borehole, which we expect to be operational from next month,” he said.
He said the only challenge they had was that the hospital shared its pipes with the neighbouring community, leading to shortages.
Dr Omondi said the management had presented the issue to Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company to have the hospital get its own pipes.
“NWSC has agreed to our request and we hope the pipes will be installed very soon,” Dr Omondi said.
He said the hospital was constructing tanks that could store up to 250,000 litres of water.