Governor Barchok takes action after child dies of negligence

By Peter Ochieng

Bomet governor Hillary Barchok has taken action, days after a child who had been stung by bees died at the Longisa Sub-County hospital.

The 3-year-old reportedly died due to negligence.

The county boss on Wednesday announced sweeping changes, after coming under intense pressure from political leaders and members of the public, who wanted him to act swiftly.

“In order to improve service delivery at the Longisa County Referral Hospital, the County Health Management Team has made the following changes in the leadership of the hospital,” Barchok said in a statement.

Dr. Benard Sowek takes over as the County Director of Health, while Ronald Kibet has been appointed the Medical Superintendent at Longisa County Referral Hospital.

“Dr. Andrew Cheruiyot has been reassigned to Special Clinics to focus on enhancing specialized healthcare services,” said the county boss.

Going forward, Julius Magut will be in charge of Clinical Officers, ensuring efficient service delivery and coordination, while Sigei will now oversee Clinical Officer internships, mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Alfred Bett has been appointed as Nursing Officer In-charge, to elevate nursing care across all our health facilities.

Similarly, Stephen Kombich will now manage the Bomet Health Centre and also serve as the County AIDS and STI Coordinator (CASCO), strengthening our public health programs.

“These appointments are part of our commitment to better healthcare for all residents of Bomet. They take effect immediately.”

The move by the governor comes a day after the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of health, Joseph Sitonik vowed to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the hospital to identify gaps in the quality of care and areas requiring urgent improvement.

“We are committed to ensuring accountability. The healthcare workers on duty that night are currently undergoing disciplinary review, and legal action will be taken if negligence is confirmed,” said the CECM.

He promised to elevate patient care standards to prevent such an occurrence in the future.