Audit reveals alarming overcrowding at Mathari Hospital
A recent audit has brought to light serious challenges at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenya's largest mental health facility.
The report for the year ending June 2024 paints a worrying picture of overcrowding, poor infrastructure, and lengthy legal hurdles that keep recovered patients confined.
More To Read
The audit reveals that the hospital has only 653 beds, yet the number of inpatients often exceeds this capacity. As a result, patients have been forced to share beds or sleep on the floor for 261 days.
"Data maintained at the hospital indicated a total of 653 hospital beds. However, review of the daily inpatient attendances indicated the number of inpatients exceeded the available beds, resulting in patients being kept on the floor or sharing beds for 261 days, thereby raising the risk of cross infection," the report reads.
Such conditions not only compromise patient comfort but also increase the risk of spreading infections.
Further complicating matters, the audit noted that Sh12.6 million was allocated for renovating the wards, yet there is no evidence to confirm that the renovations took place.
The report also draws attention to constitutional concerns.
"This was contrary to Article 43 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010 which states that, 'Every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to health care services, including reproductive health care," the Auditor-General states.
Although mental illnesses are not contagious, the crowded conditions raise fears that patients with other infectious diseases could pass them on to each other.
Mathari has long struggled with capacity issues. In March last year, the hospital's Head of Clinical Services, Mercy Karanja, noted, "The hospital's initial bed capacity of 804 since establishment has decreased over time due to the conversion of wards to accommodate other essential services."
The facility had been treating around 64,000 patients annually with daily bed occupancy reported between 700 and 750, underscoring how far its capacity has dwindled.
Adding to these operational challenges are legal barriers that delay the discharge of patients who are medically fit to return to society.
Speaking before the National Assembly's Committee on Health last month, Mathari Hospital CEO Julius Ogato explained, "We have patients who are stable and fit for release, but because they were admitted through court orders, we cannot discharge them without legal clearance. Unfortunately, the process takes too long."
Some patients have remained confined for over 20 years despite full recovery, primarily due to slow legal processes and administrative inefficiencies.
Under the Mental Health Act, CAP. 24, Section 26(3), recovered patients must obtain a formal court order for discharge, a process hampered by misplaced records, a lack of follow-up, and societal stigma that often deters families from reclaiming their loved ones.
Committee Chairperson Robert Pukose has called for urgent legal reforms to address these delays.
"The government must ensure fair treatment and reintegration. We should not wait years to process a simple release order," he said
Pukose proposed establishing a special tribunal or fast-track mechanism within the Judiciary to review cases regularly, so that recovered patients can be discharged promptly, thereby freeing up much-needed bed space for those in urgent need of care.
Top Stories Today
