A family in Mombasa has accused premier hospital in Nyali Constituency  of medical negligence that led to the untimely death of their 78-year old mother under their care, says will move to court.

Sisirya John Mathyus who hails from Chinato village in Kuria East Migori County was admitted to the facility on June 14, 2023 after she developed breathing complications.

"She didn’t deserve how she left" said Pascaline Ghati Nyambeya, fourth born daughter of the deceased, alleging shocking and unsanitary treatment she say she has on video.

"I never thought taking her there would be the last time I would see her alive and well" Pascaline told journalists.

Pascaline said she was surprised to be notified that her mother's condition had worsened at the time she was processing her discharge after staying in the hospital for more than a month.

She says she was with her in the hospital throughout the hospitalization period until on July 17, when they were to be discharged and went to process her discharge, just to be informed her mother  had been admitted back to ICU minutes later.

The family says, even though their mother had a history of stroke, she was misdiagnosed by the hospital.

After her death, the hospital declined to discharge her body until the 3.3M medical bill was fully paid even though part of the money had been paid. That It is the intervention of Civil society groups that led to the release of the body.

On Saturday last week the family hired a private pathologist who conducted a postmortem at Jocham hospital morgue where they had transferred the body to, under the supervision of officials from Muslim for Human Rights (MUHURI), CYCA Kenya organizations and DCI officers.

“I'm surprised to learn today  that my mother had cancer but was being treated for pneumonia! I urge the government to investigate this hospital. Many people may have lost their lives due this negligence’ Pascaline noted.

When we went to the hospital on June 14, they told us it was stroke but she had breathing complications and was taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). 

They started saying it’s kidney failure then aspiration pneumonia but according to the autopsy it was revealed my mum had cancer, I didn’t know! they never told me! This is first time I'm hearing this!" Pascaline Nyambeya said.

She accused the hospital of improper administration of treatment to her mum during her stay at the hospital saying the hospital was understaffed with unqualified nurses who failed to provide correct and consistent treatment for their mother's preventable health condition.

She urged the Kenya Medical Practitioners Council (KMPC) to intervene and uncover the mystery of misdiagnosis by doctors especially in private hospitals.

She said the hospital had even declined to release her mother’s treatment records to be used during the autopsy, adding that if she had known her mother had cancer she would have sought different treatment.

They now say they will launch a complaint for a medical negligence case to the Kenya Medical and Dentists Practitioners Council and file an inquest in court.

Efforts to reach the hospital during the publication of this article were futile as its Chief Executive Officer, Charles Kariuki , could not answer  our phone calls nor reply our text messages .

Story By: Peter Maseke