Nakuru hospital medics hold protest over death of their colleague

Nakuru,

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

KNA by Jane Ngugi and Dennis Rasto 

Nakuru County Secretary, Dr Samuel Mwaura, has assured health workers at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital that the County was working closely with relevant government agencies, to unravel the circumstances leading to the tragic murder of one of their colleagues.

Dr Mwaura told protesting health workers who included doctors, clinical officers and nurses that the County government was committed to ensuring that justice is served for the tragic loss of life.

 He pleaded for calm among the visibly exasperated health workers and pledged that relevant authorities were addressing the situation, as investigations into circumstances leading to the intern’s death intensified. 

The medics staged a protest march to the Nakuru Governor’s office over the mysterious death of their colleague, Dr. Laban Kiptoo Lang’at, whose body was found in a hospital trench on Saturday morning.

 The workers who matched to Governor Susan Kihika’s offices alleged that lack of security infrastructure at the ultra-modern Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby wing is posing grave security risks to employees at the facility.

 Dr Langa’t's body was discovered in the trenches outside the Margaret Kenyatta Mother and Baby Wing.

Through their representatives, the medical staff demanded that Governor Kihika’s Administration and County Commissioner, Lyford Kibaara, address security lapses at the facility for safety of medical staff and patients.

Earlier, the health workers lit candles and laid flowers at the spot where their colleague’s lifeless body was discovered on Saturday morning.

The irate medics also demanded a speedy investigation into the foul murder of their colleague, to ensure that the slain intern doctor`s killers are brought to book.

 The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU), has also called for speedy investigations into the death of Dr Langat.

KMPDU in a statement called on the DCI to move with speed and establish the cause of his death.

The union is now calling on the relevant authorities to take swift action to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.

 It noted that the safety of healthcare workers is paramount in delivering quality patient care and maintaining the integrity of the country's healthcare system.

According to a statement issued by Nakuru County Executive Member for Health Services, Roselyn Mungai, the medic’s body was discovered at about 7am on Saturday morning.

She reported that the body, which was later moved to the hospital morgue by the police, had no physical injuries, adding that his personal items were also intact.

 Mungai said the deceased was identified as one of the medical officer interns, who had been serving the hospital since August 2023.

Courtesy; KNA