KMPDC to Rescue Woman After Heartbreaking Citizen TV Exposé

Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has revealed that it is ready to help a woman after her heartbreaking story was aired on Citizen TV on the evening of Sunday, May 24.

Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, KMPDC CEO Daniel Yumbya disclosed that investigations into the incident that led to the death of the toddler would start as soon as the grieving mother, Mercy Wangare, made a formal complaint.

"KMPDC CEO has taken note of the story aired on Citizen TV last night about Ms Mercy Wangare and the accusations leveled against two hospitals, St. Teresa's Hospital, Kikuyu and Bellevue Hospital, South C. The Council will investigate the matter to its full conclusion," read a statement from KMPDC.

"I need to get to the root course of the matter. After the complaint has been launched, then the maximum time we shall take to give a preliminary report is 30 days," explained Yumbya.

Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council CEO Daniel Yumbya.
The Standard

Wangare claimed in the exposé that St Teresa's Hospital hospital induced labour while she was just seven months pregnant while Bellevue reportedly stopped the treatment of the pre-term baby.

Citizen TV journalists discreetly tagged along as she visited Bellevue Hospital and pleaded to have the remains of her baby handed to her for burial after claiming that the hospital had detained the body and taken her car as collateral for failure to settle the hospital bill.

"I am wondering why you are holding my baby. You are holding my logbook, you are holding my car, what is it that you want?

"I am in pain and it is not fair," lamented Wangari who owed the hospital Ksh650,000. 

Her pain began at the St Teresa Hospital in April for a routine check-up as an outpatient when an injection that was supposed to treat her infection, triggered bleeding. 

She was later transferred to Bellevue after noticing that the facility did not have incubators, but disclosed that the choice of the second hospital was done without her consent.

The care of her child attracted a fee of Ksh8,000 per day. After receiving the sad news of her baby's passing and the hefty bill as well as being denied the body, she reported the matter to the police. It took police intervention via a phone call for the body to be handed to her.

KPMDC is a statutory body mandated with regulating the training, practice, and licensing of medicine and dentistry and healthcare institutions that include private and mission hospitals, medical, dental centers and clinics, nursing and maternity homes, and standalone funeral homes.