Nairobi Hospital in row over failed breast enlargement surgery

High-end health service provider, the Nairobi Hospital, has been entangled in a botched breast enlargement operation that led to the death of a patient in its care.

Surgeoderm Healthcare, a Nairobi-based clinic and the doctors who performed the surgery — Prof Stanley Khainga, Dr Evans Cherono and Dr Martin Ajujo – have lifted the lid on the top hospital with the filing of a petition questioning why it was not being investigated.

“The patient file from the 2nd interested party (Nairobi Hospital) indicated that the late June Wanza Mulupi was received at the hospital in stable condition and that various attempts to fix intravenous access in her neck were done by Dr Okioma, with several failed attempts thus causing serious injuries to the neck vessels,” the trio says.

They made the revelations in their plea for the court’s intervention to stop the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) from taking disciplinary action against them over Ms Wanza’s death.

The patient underwent cosmetic breast operation at Surgeoderm Healthcare clinic in Nairobi and died after she was transferred to the Nairobi Hospital to recuperate.

KMPDB, which is listed as a respondent, launched investigations into the death targeting the health facility and the doctors who performed the operation.

The petitioners have accused KMPDB of bias and are demanding to know the grounds on which the Nairobi Hospital and Dr Okioma, who allegedly performed the final procedure that caused the complications and death, were left out of the investigations.

The late Wanza’s husband, Joseph Mulupi, who filed the complaint with KPMDB, is listed as a respondent while the Nairobi Hospital and Dr Okioma are listed as interested parties.

The Nairobi Hospital and KMPDB are yet to respond to the suit. The petitioners further accuse KMPDB of using a flawed process to fix them, noting Dr Nyahim Opot, a member of the committee that KPMDB formed to investigate the matter, works with Prof Khainga at the University of Nairobi’s Department of Surgery where the two have personal differences.

The petitioners have further questioned the committee’s expertise, arguing that its findings are not based on any professional report by a plastic surgeon.

KMPDB is further accused of reaching out to Mr Mulupi to file a complaint following media reports on the incident. Surgeoderm Healthcare received KPMDB’s letter questioning the surgery on June 13, while Mr Mulupi filed his complaint on June 29, 2018.

The petitioners argue that Mr Mulupi made no complaints against them but merely submitted a medical report from the Nairobi Hospital, post-mortem results and a copy of the identification card.

They have filed a petition seeking to stop the KPMDB committee hearing describing it as biased and only meant to harm their professional credentials.

Prof Khainga in his affidavit claims that the a post-mortem report by Dr Daniel Zuriel dated August 20 indicated that the patient died of cardiac arrest after suffering extensive internal bleeding following procedures carried out at the Nairobi Hospital. But Dr Johansen Oduor later produced another post-mortem report on August 31 that altered the initial findings in the June 20 report.

Ms Wanza had an operation to enlarge her breasts and later developed complications that saw her seek medical attention at the Nairobi Hospital.

Court papers also say that the patient’s blood pressure started running low, and doctors worked to save her upon realising that her intestines had been cut or punctured during the botched procedure to enlarge her breasts.