A patient suffering from spinal cord complications has accused the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital of negligence over his health condition.
Philip Kegengo, 51, a prison officer at Rachuonyo prisons, complained he has been sent away from the hospital whenever he seeks for the service to his health condition.
Mr Kegengo said the drugs are costly and his NHIF card has been catering for the drugs and other medical issues in the hospital.
Kegengo indicated he contributes Sh1,200 per month to NHIF but he is not contented with the kind of service he is accorded to at the hospital. The drugs cost about Sh4,500 per month in exclusion of fare and lunch, according to the patient.
He said he has not been given drugs to control his health condition for two months now. He alleges the hospital suspended giving him drugs over unclear reasons.
However, he admitted that KTRH which is his outpatient health facility has been giving him the drugs since 2013 when he was referred to the facility from Medhill Hospital in Eldoret.
The patient said in 2004, he underwent a CT scan and MRI x-ray at Medhill hospital and he was diagnosed with Spondylosis Radiculopathy; a spinal cord health condition whereby he was told only operation could solve the problem.
Due to financial constraints, Kegengo has been using drugs (Cartel Forte and Cabalin Norte) to restrain the problem. He is slated for an operation in India in January 2016.
“I have a health insurance cover whereby I chose KTRH as my outpatient health facility where I should be getting health service whenever I need it. I cannot deny that the hospital has helped me, it has been helping me with drugs for my spinal cord problem from 2013 till September this year, and from then I have been encountering repulsion whenever I go for my monthly drugs,” alleged the father of 8, adding that meeting the cost of the drugs is cumbersome because he is straining to provide education to his children.
He added: “I am so much confused and disappointed because the hospital is now telling me that my health insurance cover cannot cater for my drugs anymore. They have been referring me to go and buy the drugs. I wonder why my insurer has been deducting me Sh1,200 per month if I cannot get the health service when I need it most.”
The patient is asking the county government through the Executive member for health to intervene and safe him saying he has exhausted resources to his health problem yet he is required to go to India for an operation to fix the three disks dislocated in the spinal cord.