Health

Health team visit to Eastleigh's Joy Nursing Home find inadequacies

National Assembly Health committee members address the press at Amal Hospital in Eastleigh, Nairobi, on January 29, 2024. (Photo: Amin Abdullahi)

By Immaculate Wairimu | Monday, January 29, 2024

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health visited Joy Nursing and Maternity home in Eastleigh Section 1 on Monday, January 29, 2024, for a fact-finding mission.

The National Assembly Departmental Committee on Health visited Joy Nursing and Maternity home in Eastleigh Section 1 on Monday, January 29, 2024, for a fact-finding mission. The committee, led by board members Duncan Mathenge Maina, Nyeri MP, Martin Owino, Ndhiwa MP, Mary Maingi, Mwea MP, and Pauline Lenguris, Samburu MP, uncovered inadequacies in the hospital's claim to be a level 4 facility. Despite the hospital's assertion, it lacked the required 24-bed capacity for a level 4 hospital and essential facilities such as a blood transfusion unit, life support equipment, and a mortuary.

Kennedy Otieno, the hospital administrator, explained that they have a 21-bed capacity, having removed some beds to make room for a radiology room and dental room. He claimed they did not accredit themselves but were registered as a level 4 hospital by a representative from KMPDU. However, he couldn't provide the accrediting officer's name.

The committee also raised concerns about NHIF claims, to which Mr. Otieno refuted the audit report, claiming that the insurance provider owed the hospital Ksh78 million. The NHIF audit revealed 6,707 claims valued at Ksh368,868,453, with allegations of patient inducement for biometrics to register them for surgical procedures.

Mr. Otieno couldn't confirm his relationship with Jekim Hospital, Meru, which allegedly ferried patients for orthopaedic surgeries, requiring NHIF coverage. Some patients claimed they were billed without undergoing any surgical procedures.

Hon Pauline Lenguris questioned why Joy Nursing and Maternity had to ferry patients for orthopaedic procedures from distant locations when hospitals like Kenyatta National Hospital offered similar services. Mr. Otieno mentioned specialist orthopaedic surgeons as the reason for patients coming from far and wide but couldn't provide contractual agreements or accreditations for the seven surgeons.

The committee expressed concerns about the hospital's location in a residential area, its congested rooms, and the lack of upgrades despite receiving close to Ksh400 million in three years. Duncan Mathenge Maina queried whether the hospital was set up as a special purpose vehicle for NHIF services, a claim Mr. Otieno denied. The committee pledged to present their findings and assure Kenyans of their commitment to investigating the alleged siphoning of millions through NHIF claims, potentially denying comprehensive medical services to citizens.