Shortage of Drugs Hits Korogocho Health Center

Author: Catherine Wanjiku
Newsletter: Koch News

Korogocho health center is one of the public facilities in Ruaraka Sub County serving approximately 150 patients per day. Some of the services provided by the health center include anti-natal care, cardiovascular and family planning services. The free maternity services are provided 24 hours due to high demand and the facility is easily accessible by Korogocho people and neighboring areas.

In the past 3 months, the hospital has been experiencing a shortage of drugs and only painkillers are available. Kariobangi and Dandora health centers have also been experiencing the same problem since the beginning of this year.

‘’I have been sick since yesterday and though I have been checked by the doctor I have been told to go and buy drugs in a chemist nearby’’ said one of the patients.

Other challenges faced by the facilities includes lack of enough personnel and according to one of the community health volunteers who requested to remain anonymous, most of the doctors are overworked with 1 doctor serving more than 50 patients per day.

‘’Some of the hospitals around are understaffed and if one or two of the staffs go away on a training or on leave it affects the running of the facility because few of the staffs left cannot attend to all the patients’’ said the volunteer.

The constitution of Kenya article 43 (10) (a) states that every person has the right to the highest attainable standard of health, which includes the right to healthcare services, including reproductive healthcare. It is clear that government has failed to fulfill its mandate as stipulated in the constitution. Despite complaints from the community members no action has been taken by the Nairobi county government to fix the problem and the situation is getting worse day by day. If this continues then most of the public hospitals in the informal settlements will be just buildings with no services.