Nandi Governor Sang reinstates top health officials suspended over pregnant teacher’s death

Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has reinstated top county government health officials who were suspended a fortnight ago over allegations of negligence following the death of a middle-aged pregnant woman at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital.

The officials include Health County Executive Committee Member (CECM) Ruth Koech, Health Chief Officer Fredrick Kiptum, Director of Medical Services Dr. David Bungei, Kapsabet County Referral Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. Aiyebei Ismael as well as the facility’s duty workers.

County Secretary Dr. Francis Sang signed letters suspending the officials to allow for investigations to be conducted following public outcry after relatives of the deceased - Nancy Chepchumba Birgen – staged a demonstration demanding justice.

They claimed that Chepchumba, who was a teacher at Mukunya Secondary School, was admitted to the facility on May 19, before succumbing during treatment on May 20, 2023.

Governor Sang then went ahead to appoint a 5-member committee chaired by Dr. Daniel Chepsiror to investigate the claims of negligence by staff at Kapsabet County Referral Hospital.

A number of allegations had been made and the committee was tasked to find out whether the deceased sought was indeed treated at the said facility, whether she had called for the hospital’s ambulance services, whether a blood sample was taken from her, as well as whether the facility actually had any in its blood bank.

The findings of the probe, according to Governor Sang, did not implicate any of the suspended health officials nor the hospital itself, since the deceased apparently did not even visit the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital in the first place.

Sang said the investigations revealed that Chepchumba was treated at a private facility in Kapsabet before being transferred to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH).

“Details have now appeared and it is clear that the Health CECM, Chief Officer, Medical Superintendent and all the staff who were on duty around the period that was mentioned were not culpable of any wrongdoing,” said the county boss.

“The committee reached out to the lady captured in the video making allegations of negligence at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital and when asked to meet the committee to shed more light, she declined.”

He added: “We however made an independent investigation and found out that the patient did not visit Kapsabet County Referral Hospital as alleged in the video. It is very painful to see people making malicious allegations that are unfounded.”

The findings, Governor Sang noted, indicated that the deceased neither visited nor was attended to at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital on the said dates.

She was instead attended to at the White Crescent Hospital, whereupon she was urged to seek further treatment at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital but she instead decided to go to MTRH.

The committee’s findings further revealed that ambulance services were available at both White Crescent Hospital and the Nandi County Health department, but she did not seek either.

Investigations additionally ascertained that adequate blood was available at both the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital as well as the Nandi Hills satellite blood transfusion centre, but no requisition was received at the laboratory.

It is through the findings of the committee that Governor Sang on Tuesday ordered the reinstatement of the suspended officials.

"I therefore direct, again with immediate effect, that the staff I had asked to step aside to resume their duties with immediate effect,” Sang said.