GIRL DIES AFTER MOTHER FAILS TO RAISE KSH10,000 OPERATION FEE

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital's maternity wing. PHOTO | ANITA CHEPKOECH | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

By RUSHDIE OUDIA

An eight-year-old girl died at a Kisumu hospital after her mother failed to raise Sh10,000 medics demanded for an operation.

Ms Emily Anyango said she rushed her daughter to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital on Thursday night after she allegedly swallowed Sh20 coin.

Ms Anyango, who works at a construction site and comes from Kasagam in Kisumu East, on Friday said the nurses in charge failed to attend to her daughter since she was unable to raise the money. She was forced to reach MP Shakeel Shabbir to help her raise the amount.

“When I returned to the hospital, I was told the baby was already dead,” said Ms Anyango.

She was accompanied by Mr Shabbir, who confirmed that the woman had approached him over the issue, and needed money.

“I was coming to pay the cash when the mother called me to inform me that the child had died. I was, however, surprised in the manner the child was hurriedly rushed to the mortuary,” said Mr Shabbir.

Interestingly, the hospital has been offering free medical services to the public.

The hospital’s chief executive, Ms Juliana Otieno, however, said the institution did not handle such a case. She also said that no eight-year-old girl died at the hospital between Thursday and Friday. She confirmed the hospital charges from Sh5,000 to Sh7,000 for operations, but stressed that for emergency cases, a patient is operated on first.

CREDIT-NATION MEDIA