It is a sad state of affairs at the Kisumu County Hospital for patients admitted to the facility.
The problem the patients face is the lack of beds according to an investigation carried out by the Nation Media Group.
This critical situation is faced by mothers, expectant ones especially. The women are forced to share the beds with each other and even with their newborns when the need arises.
The problem that the hospital is facing is admitting too many women yet there are not enough beds to cater for all of them. This becomes a very dangerous thing as mothers as well as their children can get various infections as a result of sharing beds.
“The situation is so bad that, at times, babies die at night without their mothers noticing,” Margaret Kuria, the deputy medical superintendent told the Nation.
The worst part about all this is that the hospital only has 60 beds but has gone ahead to admit more than 50 women in a day.
“Expectant women are giving birth in a very poor state at the hospital and something needs to be done,” Kuria said.
Patients said they have complained about the state of the hospital but the nurses tell them that nothing can be done at the moment.
The hospital is in need of more wards so that mothers can be well catered for together with their newborns.
The county chief officer of health, Ojwang Lusi said that the congestion in the hospital is as a result of the incentives that came as a package with the free maternity initiative.
“Kisumu County this financial year gave the hospital Sh18 million but it was not enough for the completion of a new block, which has stalled for more than five years,” he said.