The National Nurses Association of Kenya Chairman Alfred Obengo (centre) in a past photo. He said doctors should stop blaming nurses for the surgery conducted on the wrong patient. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The National Nurses Association of Kenya has asked doctors at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) to stop blaming nurses for the surgery conducted on the wrong patient.
They asked doctors to take responsibility.
BLAME
The nurses’ association said shifting the blame to nurses was an irresponsible way of handling the mistake.
According to association Chairman Alfred Obengo, nurses have said that a doctor prescribes a surgery and can only be done on a patient the doctor has met.
"We shall take responsibility if a nurse is found responsible but we need whoever is responsible to take responsibility," said Mr Obengo.
He added that the doctor’s claim that the patient was give the wrong name tag was inexcusable.
"How possible is it for the surgeon to carry out an operation on a patient they have not met before? Does it mean they operate on whoever is brought to them without confirmation?" Mr Obengo asked.
SURGERY
KNH, Kenya’s largest referral hospital, on Thursday made the headlines again after a brain surgery was performed on the wrong patient.
This followed a horror mix-up of identification tags on two patients, which a saw the wrong man wheeled into theatre and his skull opened.
The error was realised halfway into the surgery when the doctor did not find a blood clot as indicated in the patient’s file.
The hospital management on Thursday suspended the four medics who were at work that night, including the neurosurgeon, the ward nurse, theatre receiving nurse and the anaesthetist.
Health CS Sicily Kariuki on Friday sent the hospital’s CEO Lily Koros on compulsory leave following the incident.
SOURCE: NATION
