Kiambu County has dismissed claims by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) alleging a spike in newborn deaths across county hospitals, accusing the doctors’ union of inflating figures to create panic amid the ongoing health workers’ strike.
Speaking during an interview on Tuesday, the county’s Chief Officer for Health Services, Patrick Nyagah, termed the figures “alarmist and inaccurate,” insisting that the data had been exaggerated.
“A single death is a matter of concern. But when we look at these alarmist numbers, we find that in every category, they have doubled the figures. Where you find 16, it was something like eight. Where you find six, it’s something like three,” said Dr Nyagah. “There is malice in adding numbers where they don’t exist.”
He added that some cases cited by KMPDU involved babies brought to hospitals already dead, and that overall neonatal mortality rates remained similar to those recorded before the doctors’ strike.
“The numbers we are dealing with now are equal to what we had last year when there were no strikes. The strike does not affect the numbers,” he noted, explaining that referral hospitals naturally record higher infant mortality due to the severity of cases they handle.
Citing Thika Level V Hospital, Nyagah said the union had reported 36 newborn deaths in September, while county records showed only 11. “That is three times the actual number. And even the 11 have not been analyzed to determine causes. Thika Level V is a referral center we receive cases from across the county and beyond,” he said.
The county, he added, had received communication from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), which plans to visit Thika and Kiambu Level V hospitals to verify the data. “I’m hopeful that the truth will come out,” he said.
The ongoing standoff between KMPDU and Governor Kimani Wamatangi’s administration has lasted over three months, with the union accusing the county of breaching a return-to-work agreement signed last year.
On Monday, KMPDU also faulted the Council of Governors (CoG) for dismissing reports of 131 newborn deaths, calling the response “indifferent and heartless.” The union’s secretary-general, Dr Davji Atellah, said KMPDU was “deeply shocked and outraged” by the CoG’s remarks labelling their report “false publication” and “pure mischief.”
 alleging a spike in newborn deaths across county hospitals, accusing the doctors’ union of inflating figures to create panic amid the ongoing health workers’ strike.){kind=link}