Four medical staff members in Kenya have been suspended after operating on the head of the wrong patient at a hospital in Nairobi.
There was mix-up in identification tags on the patients – one needed surgery for a blood clot in his brain, while the other was to have a non-invasive treatment for swelling. The doctors at Kenyatta National Hospital did not realize the mistake until hours into the operation, when they realized there was no blood clot in the patient’s head. As a result, a neurosurgery registrar, anesthetist and two nurses have been suspended by the hospital, Reuters reports.
The doctors’ union in Kenya defended the medical team, saying that the “overwhelmed” Kenyan system and staff were to blame for the mix-up. Ouma Oluga, chief executive officer of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists’ Union, said, “These are quality system issues that should not be leveled at staff. Doctors are overwhelmed. You find one doctor could be doing 10 to 19 operations [in a day].”
This is the first time such a mix-up has occurred in the country, according to the board regulating medical practice. The hospital is under investigation for the incident, and a hearing is imminent.
Hospital CEO Lily Koros said the hospital “deeply regrets this event and has done all it can to ensure the safety and well-being of the patient in question.” Koros added,
We are happy to inform the public that the patient is in recovery and progressing well. The management has suspended the admission rights of a neurosurgery registrar and issued him with a show-cause letter for apparently operating on the wrong patient.
The head of the hospital said that both patients are now recovering and are reportedly in good condition. In fact, The Daily Nation reports that the patient who had the blood clot may not even need to undergo surgery after all, as his condition has somehow improved greatly.
