Doctors Raise Alarm Over Ebola Death, Nairobi Hospital Governance and Board Legitimacy
By News Desk
In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the Admitting Staff Association (Doctors) and KHA Reformists mourned the patient who died at the hospital on October 5, while expressing concern over the potential exposure of healthcare workers and other people who may have come into contact with the patient.
The group disputed aspects of the hospital management's earlier communication, particularly claims that the patient spent time only within an isolation facility and had no shared clinical space with the main hospital.
According to the doctors, information available to them and published reports indicated that the patient, who reportedly travelled from an Ebola-affected region, spent approximately 18 hours in the Accident and Emergency Department before being isolated.
They further alleged that full protective equipment was ordered only after the patient began bleeding.
The doctors said the allegations, if accurate, raise serious questions about possible exposure in the hospital's busy casualty department and called for disclosure of the full timeline, contact tracing and an independent investigation.
Doctors accuse management of failing on clinical governance
The group also launched a broader attack on the hospital's clinical governance, accusing the board and senior management of failing to prioritise patient safety.
They argued that effective systems should include screening patients' travel histories at the point of entry, immediate isolation where Ebola is suspected and provision of appropriate protective equipment from the first contact.
The doctors claimed that such systems had not been adequately implemented, declaring that clinical governance at the hospital was effectively at zero.
The statement also revisited the hospital's financial and management challenges, citing a reported KSh2.214 billion deficit in the 2024 audited accounts and more than KSh5 billion owed to suppliers.
Despite what the doctors described as severe financial difficulties, they questioned spending and proposed investments involving a PET scanner, a new Hospital Management Information System, additional senior management positions and construction projects.
They alleged that some procurement and construction activities raised concerns over inflated costs, commissions and kickbacks, although these claims were presented by the group and were not independently established in the statement.
Court orders and board dispute
The doctors also accused hospital leadership of disregarding court orders issued in ongoing disputes surrounding the Kenya Hospital Association.
They said the High Court had, on November 5, 2025, restrained respondents from convening board and committee meetings, holding an Annual General Meeting and undertaking capital procurement.
According to the statement, the orders were extended on November 18, 2025, while the court later reaffirmed on December 16 that they had neither lapsed nor been set aside.
The reformists alleged that an AGM was nevertheless convened on August 25, 2026, describing this as an apparent defiance of the orders. They have called for urgent judicial intervention and the empanelment of a bench to handle matters concerning the hospital.
Reformists question legitimacy of hospital board
The most serious governance claims in the statement concern the composition and legal recognition of the Kenya Hospital Association's board.
The group said an official Companies Registry search dated October 7, 2026, listed nine directors, but alleged that only one of the 14 individuals presented to members on September 10 as the board appeared in the registry.
The doctors claimed the remaining individuals were not recorded as directors and warned banks, suppliers, contractors and other partners to independently verify the authority of anyone purporting to act on behalf of the association.
They also accused the Company Secretary of failing to make the Register of Members available for inspection, while questioning the admission of nearly 700 new members in a single year.
The group warned that dealings undertaken without independent verification of the board's authority would be conducted at the parties' own risk.
Four-point demands
The doctors and KHA Reformists have called for immediate intervention to address both the Ebola exposure concerns and the hospital's wider governance crisis.
Among their demands are that the Ministry of Health publish the full casualty timeline and trace and monitor patients, visitors and staff who were in or around the Accident and Emergency Department during the relevant period.
They are also demanding fully paid quarantine, medical cover and psychosocial support for exposed healthcare workers.
The group wants an independent infection-prevention audit involving the Ministry of Health, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS).
They have further called for the board and CEO to step aside to allow an independent interim clinical and governance team to take charge, alongside a freeze on capital procurement, a forensic audit and an independent audit of the membership register.
The doctors urged anyone who was in or near the hospital's A&E department in the days before October 5 and subsequently develops symptoms such as fever, unusual weakness or bleeding to isolate and contact the Ministry of Health immediately.
They also urged anyone seeking medical attention to disclose recent travel history.
The statement was signed on behalf of members of the Admitting Staff Association (Doctors) and members of the Kenya Hospital Association, collectively known as the KHA Reformists.
Comments
Post a Comment