Dr Merry/Mary Othigo on bribes at the Coast Province General Hospital, Mombasa, Kenya. September, 2008.

The beautiful, and younger, Merry/Mary Othigo is pictured on the bottom far right of the above photo.

Quacks capitalise on poor services in Mombasa to swindle patients
By ANTHONY KITIMO and AMINA KIBIRIGE
Posted Sunday, September 21 2008 at 20:13

Three hours after arriving at Coast Provincial General Hospital with his two-year-old niece who had a broken arm, Mr Johnson Kazungu was still waiting for help.

Despite the evident pain the child was having, the two endured the chilly night waiting for a doctor to attend to their emergency.

But it appeared no one was available for the night shift.

Finally, at 10pm, a doctor arrived, only to take one look at the patient and declare that the case could wait until morning. This forced Mr Kazungu to give Sh1,000 as a bribe for immediate service.

Unbelievable“This was in addition to the normal Sh300 X-ray charges and Sh100 registration fees. It was unbelievable, but all I wanted was for her to stop crying,” said Mr Kazungu.

According to the distraught uncle, what kept them waiting was the belief that the general hospital had the best doctors for burns and broken limbs.

But people like Mr Kazungu may not be prepared for another reality at the health institution. Besides the occasional case of doctors asking bribes before attending to patients, the hospital is also a haven for con men offering services to desperate people who do not want to queue.

Hospital administrators say patients are squarely to blame in their bid to get speedy services.

“The hospital corridors have a variety of people out to make quick cash from unsuspecting patients. Some act as lawyers, others as doctors and the more they are entertained the more they live on,” said Dr Jennifer Othigo, the hospital’s chief administrator.

As she responded to our queries, the administrator said she was handling a case in which a patient was swindled but could not remember the person she paid to get treatment.

“There are so many people hovering within hospital premises masquerading as doctors and nurses. We are asking patients to follow the procedure to ensure they do not lose their money to con men,” said Dr Othigo.

She said that all staff had been warned against reporting late and leaving early during their working hours.

Dr Othigo urged the Government to give incentives to the staff to boost morale.

“Despite having a shortage of staff, the administration has ensured that the hospital operates around the clock because it is the only referral hospital in the region. Most of our staff are being overstretched and they complain that they are working more than what they earn,” said Dr Othigo.

Ms Nelly Aguso also complained of delayed services. She said she arrived around 6am with a nephew suffering from aedema.

At one point, Ms Aguso was instructed to take him for “immediate admission” but the exercise took six hours, having been moved back and forth through the corridors before they finally got a bed.

“We only come to this facility because it is cheap compared to private hospitals,” she said.

Attitude change

One administrator, who declined to be named, said the hospital was set to hold a three-day workshop on attitude change for its staff.

“The situation at the hospital has drastically improved compared to two years ago. Apart from a few ‘hard-nut’ nurses the rest of the staff are quite sociable,” said Mr Michael Mwika, accompanying his brother who was admitted for chest complications.

Mr Mwika said the male ward was clean, as the floor was swept and mopped regularly. “The food these days is edible, and medication is in plenty. Although the doctors make two rounds per day, their aides are always within an arm’s reach and we are happy about their service.”

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/473466/-/tkuho4/-/index.html