Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has ordered investigations into allegations of malpractice by health workers accused of colluding with private clinic owners to loot public health facilities.

The governor said he is aware that some medics were denying patients access to medication even when it was available in the public facilities and warned that those found will face legal action in addition to termination of their services.

Speaking on Friday at the groundbreaking of the Uthiru Level Three Hospital in Kabete, Wamatangi said that although his administration had made significant investments in the health sector by securing drug supplies and acquiring necessary equipment, some unscrupulous individuals were purposefully depriving patients of care and treatment and referring them to particular private facilities.

Manufactured claims “Although we have managed to contain complaints in county hospitals, cases of patients failing to find health workers in our hospitals, manufactured claims of unavailability of some services and alleged lack of drugs are creeping back, leading to a public outcry,” disclosed the Governor.

He singled out Thika, Kiambu and Tigoni hospitals which have become notorious for what he called “artificial shortage of drugs”, cautioning that the administrators of the facilities must toe the line or be dismissed.

He directed that drugs be properly displayed in open pharmacies for patients to see them, and also the health workers to prescribe alternative medicines for treating sickness so that patients are not turned away even when the drugs are available.

Private pharmacies “There are cases where some health workers prescribe to patients medicines which are in stock for the same ailment, but direct them to go and buy them in private pharmacies.

“I don’t want to hear stories of patients being referred to private clinics for medical tests or X-ray services because we have those in our health facilities,” Wamatangi said.

Noting that his administration had seen several corrupt health workers arrested and charged in court, the governor also told heads of the health units to help flush out the rotten eggs among their staff who were giving the county a bad name.