Machakos family seeks answers after 'surgery gone wrong' lands child in ICU

According to the child’s father, Nicholas Kitonyi, the six-year-old boy was taken to hospital last week for what they thought would be simple treatment for a swelling on their son’s left hand.

However, upon consultation with the doctor, the family was informed that the child would have to be admitted and undergo surgery.

Kitonyi says after this, things took a negative turn as the surgery is said to have gone wrong with complications that necessitated the child being taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

He says the family received a call informing them they should go to the hospital to receive some news.

Upon going, Kitonyi says the family was not allowed to see their son in the ICU, and was instead told that the boy’s situation was being monitored.

“I want to know what exactly transpired between bringing our child for treatment to him being taken to the ICU,” Kitonyi said.

He continued, “The information we are being given is scant and we are not even sure that our child is alive because we have not been allowed to see him.”

Kitonyi says that he wanted to have a different specialist from outside the hospital review his son's condition, however, the facility has not allowed the family to do so.

“I’m calling on the government to intervene to help us,” he said.

Efforts to get the hospital administration to comment on the matter were unsuccessful by the time of publication.