A crisis is looming in Prisons within the North Rift region after the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) stopped providing medical services to sick inmates.
The Eldoret-based public facility has been handling referral cases for all sick inmates in the region but it recently stopped.
Barnabas Keino, the officer in charge of GK Prisons in Eldoret says MTRH’s decision to stop treating inmates relates to a Ksh3.4 million pending bills that the prisons depart has not yet paid to the hospital.
But Keino notes that it was wrong for the hospital to stop offering the services yet past bills have always been cleared.
“…it is very bad and life is paramount and is a right regardless of the social status of a person. The facility is a government entity and prisoners are state visitors. Again our sub-county hospital provides only outpatient services and all the specialized treatments are done in referral,” said the officer in charge of Eldoret GK Prisons.
Inmates affected by the current situation have already asked the two entities to solve the issue and allow them access to health services.
“I fell sick at prisons and needed treatment but I came here and I was not attended to. At prisons, I’m being given drugs that are not helping me. I came at 2 pm and this is the second time I have been here but not been treated,” said one of the inmates who was seeking treatment at the hospital.
Service Level Agreement
“I think Prison and MTRH have issues. It looks like they have not agreed on a mode of payment and I ask that they settle the matter faster for us to be treated,” he added.
And reached for comment, MTRH Chief Executive Officer Dr Wilson Aruasa said as much as they usually treat all patients referred to them, they have an agreement that needs to be met with the Kenya Prisons.
“We treat those referred to us. Kenya Prisons however have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with MTRH. This is just like any other institutions,” Dr Aruasa said.
