Doctor who saved lives denied treatment at KNH, dies after delayed medical attention
Desperate, he turned to a local hospital, but his condition worsened. By the time he was referred back to KNH, it was too late.
Dr Daniel Ndege Chacha dedicated his life to saving patients at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), but when he needed urgent medical care, the same hospital turned him away because he couldn’t afford treatment.
As reported by the Daily Nation, the 37-year-old doctor, who was training as a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Nairobi’s KNH Campus, fell ill two weeks ago and sought care at KNH, only to be denied treatment for lacking medical cover.
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Desperate, he turned to a local hospital, but his condition worsened. By the time he was referred back to KNH, it was too late.
Dr Chacha, who was not on a salary, survived by doing locum work to sustain his family while making remittances to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
According to Dr Dennis Miskellah, Deputy Secretary General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), he was mismanaged at the local hospital before being taken to KNH, where he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a week.
Mismanaged
“He visited a local healthcare facility and was mismanaged. By the time he was being referred to KNH, he had developed an acute liver injury, which affected his kidneys. He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for a week. Unfortunately, he died yesterday (March 17). The total bill came to around Sh300,000, but SHA said they can only pay about Sh30,000,” said Dr Miskellah as mentioned by the Nation.
Dr. Miskellah lamented that despite dedicating his time and expertise to treating patients at KNH, the hospital refused to help him when he needed care.
“Despite dedicating his time and expertise to saving lives at KNH, Dr. Chacha was left to fend for himself when he needed care the most,” he said.
Now, Dr Chacha’s family faces an overwhelming hospital bill they cannot afford, and KNH has refused to waive the costs.
“The family cannot afford to sort out the bill, and KNH, which should have submitted its remittances on time, and which refused to treat him, has refused to waive the bill and has detained his body until the bill is cleared. Unfortunately, he leaves behind an expectant wife,” Dr. Miskellah added as reported by Nation.
A senior manager at KNH, who spoke to the Daily Nation on condition of anonymity, stated that Dr. Chacha was not an employee of the hospital and that his medical cover was the responsibility of the University of Nairobi (UoN).
“He was a resident doctor and a Master’s student. As such, it was UoN’s responsibility to provide him with medical cover, not KNH. He was not on our payroll,” the official said.
Trainees' welfare
The case has reignited debate on the welfare of medical trainees, many of whom work long hours in hospitals without being recognized as employees or provided with medical insurance.
Dr Miskellah told Daily Nation that a major flaw in the memorandum of understanding between UoN and KNH has left postgraduate medical trainees in a vulnerable position.
“KNH does not recognise medical trainees as employees. They work tirelessly, offering services for free, yet when they fall sick, they have no medical cover. It is heartbreaking and unacceptable,” he said.
Following Dr. Chacha’s death, doctors took to the streets, protesting against the delayed remittance of their Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) contributions, which has left them unable to access medical services.
They also opposed a proposal to cut medical interns’ salaries from Sh70,000 to Sh40,000.
“We are also demonstrating our frustration with the SHA. We have doctors detained because they cannot pay medical bills. As we speak today, over 30 counties have not remitted their deductions to the Social Health Authority (SHA). The government deducts our money and then does not remit it to itself. SHA removing workers from accessing services every 9th of the month has to stop. There is no way doctors will be going to the hospital and not getting care while they are working faithfully,” said KMPDU Secretary-General Dr Davji Atellah.
Strike notice
Doctors have now issued a strike notice, warning that if the issues are not resolved, they will withdraw services nationwide on May 9.
“If these matters are not resolved, we shall issue a strike notice on May 9, and there will be a total withdrawal of services across the entire country,” Dr Atellah warned.
The union is also calling for urgent reforms in medical training and employment, demanding that postgraduate trainees be paid and given medical insurance.
Dr Atellah urged Parliament to ensure that health insurance is provided for all healthcare workers and that salary deductions translate into real benefits.
“We pray the Parliament recommends the provision of express comprehensive health insurance coverage and health services access to all members of the union, civil servants, public servants, and county workers by the provision of a four-month moratorium on late premium payments by employers,” he stated.
KNH CEO Evans Kamuri did not respond to Daily Nation’s inquiries about the case.
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