A section of MCAs from Kitui County Muthengi Ndagara and Jeremiah Mutua of Tharaka and Nguni wards respectively have said that residents of Kitui County have been suffering due to lack of drugs in the hospitals.
The duo said that the lack of essential medicines, such as snakebite antivenoms, and the absence of electricity in hospitals at night are significant issues affecting the well-being of residents.
Their sentiments come days after the tragic incident of the grade four girl who lost her life due to a snakebite highlights the urgency of these problems adding that the Ministry of Health must address these issues promptly to ensure the safety and health of the people in Kitui County, especially during the rainy season when snakebite incidents tend to increase.
The girl had been rushed to a Nthangani dispensary but there were no antivenoms. She died while being transferred to Ishiara Hospital.
“As we are speaking my people and I are mourning, the 11-year-old girl died of snakebite, surprisingly the hospital she was rushed to did not have antivenoms yet the county is aware of the dire need of antivenoms in our hospitals due to rising cases of snake bites.
“We cannot stay put and watch our people die because they could not access certain services at our hospitals. One of my electorates went to Nguni hospital at night after her child was bitten by a snake only to find the hospital in total darkness,” said Mutua.
The two county lawmakers said that as the rain falls snakes are forced out of their hideouts and mostly find their way into people’s homes and this poses a risk mostly to kids at home for long holidays.
