A senior Nairobi County government health official has disowned medical officials accused of swapping a couple’s twins with dead ones.
Mr Dedan Kimathi’s wife Jacinta Gathua Wanjiku gave birth to the twins at Pumwani Hospital on January 6, but doctors told him that the babies had died.
However, DNA tests on the two corpses have shown that there is no genetic relationship between the bodies and the couple.
On Friday, County Chief Medical Officer Robert Ayisi said the matter is being investigated by police and they would let the law take its course.
He stated that the county would institute administrative action against those found culpable although he noted he was yet to receive the DNA test results.
Dr Ayisi said the hospital’s records would show all the staff that handled the matter.
RECORDED STATEMENTS
Dr Ayisi, who was speaking at City Hall, added that the concerned medical staff, including the medical officer in-charge, have recorded statements at the Shauri Moyo Police Station.
Dr Ayisi defended the medical officers after the Daily Nation broke the story in early January. He demanded an “unconditional apology” claiming the story was published in “bad faith”.
He stated on Friday that he relied on information from the hospital that had indicated that the babies were born dead and were shown to the mother who signed hospital documents.
On January 5, Mr Kimathi took his wife, who was in labour, to Pumwani Maternity Hospital, but the next day at 4pm, he was told that their twin babies had died.
According to medical records, the babies delivered on January 6, at around 10.30am were stillborn.
Dr Ayisi noted that they offered to cover the cost of the DNA test to ascertain the truth.
The test that was conducted between January 27 and February 4 at the Government Chemist in Nairobi revealed that not only were the bodies not the couple’s children but the babies were not even twins.
Mr Ayisi said that the parents of the two stillborn children would be pursued.
-nation.co.ke
