Brain Surgery on the Wrong Patient: Colleagues Go on Protest After Kenyan Doctors Suspended

Hundreds of doctors went on a massive strike on March 5, 2018 to protest the suspension of a colleague who is accused of performing brain surgery on the wrong patient at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi. As reported, hospital officials suspended a neurosurgeon, two nurses as well as an anaesthetist after they performed a brain surgery on the wrong patient last month to remove a blood clot after two patients’ identification tags were mixed up. This decision has ignited an uproar from fellow doctors who believe their colleagues should not be punished for the hospital’s failures. The doctors refused to resume work until the hospital addresses underlying procedural problems such as issues with the hospital’s booking system, staff shortages and inadequate equipment.

According to the Daily Nation in Kenya, the doctors involved in the protest said, “While our friend may have exhibited some procedural shortcomings, the surgery was done on the wrong patient mainly because of wrong labelling by the ward staff. The patients in the surgery mix-up were admitted with head injuries on February 18 and 19. The mix-up happened because both the patients had the same last name. The surgical staff worked on the patient for hours before realising the mistake, according to the newspaper. When the medical team could not find the expected blood clot hours into the operation, they consulted a senior neurosurgeon who advised them to stop.

There were rumours that one of the patients involved in the case had since died. However, according to the hospital’s statement, the staff denied the rumour and stated that both patients are still receiving treatment and have made remarkable improvement. Kenyatta National Hospital’s board chairman, Mark Bor, said in a statement that the board has opened an internal investigation, but no one knows how long the suspension will last. Hospital officials said that they deeply regret this event and has done all it can to ensure the safety and well-being of the patient in question.

Prior to this incident, country’s health minister called for an investigation into claims on social media that new mothers had been sexually assaulted by male staff members in the newborn unit at the hospital, according to BBC News.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 06, 2018 04:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).