KENYA PLUS NEWS.

*How Kenya’s Healthcare Is ‘Bleeding’ While Government Looks Away**

Kenya’s healthcare system is facing a *serious crisis* mainly because the **Social Health Authority (SHA)** has **not reimbursed hospitals for over three months**. Hospitals have been treating patients, but the money meant to refund them has not been released.

*Key Problems Highlighted**

*Huge pending bills* owed to hospitals by SHA
*Unpaid staff salaries** for months
* Pharmacies running out of medicines**
* Ambulances grounded** due to lack of fuel and maintenance
* Healthcare workers overwhelmed** emotionally, mentally, and financially
* Private and faith-based hospitals threatened with closure**

*Why it’s Dangerous**

If the issue is not fixed quickly:

* Many hospitals may shut down
* Thousands of healthcare workers could **lose jobs
* Kenya’s dream of **Universal Health Coverage (UHC) may collapse
* Patients may have **nowhere to seek treatment, especially in rural areas

*Overall Message*

Maroa Robert (a clinician and lawyer), warns that Kenya’s healthcare is
“bleeding” because the government is *not acting urgently**, and the situation could turn into a national disaster if hospitals continue operating without funding.

SAD NEWS: CCTV FOOTAGE REVEALS LAST MOMENTS OF KENYA’S STANDARD GROUP JOURNALIST WHO DIED IN A CLUB FROM SUSPECTED PÔISÓNING

CCTV footage has offered a clear timeline of the moments that led to the death of Standard Group Media journalist Amos Harun Maina, who collapsed and died at a bar in Mirema, Nairobi, on November 16.

The video shows him arriving at the bar in the late afternoon and interacting with different people before his condition changed sharply later in the evening.

His death has since raised serious concerns, with detectives now investigating how he consumed a poisonous substance.

The footage shows Amos entering the bar at 4:18 pm and walking to a table where a man and a woman were seated.

He greeted them and then moved to another table. By around 4:30 pm, he had joined a group of revellers and began taking a drink.

A short while later, at about 4:50 pm, a lady approached him, and the two spoke briefly before he moved again and continued drinking.

He is later seen playing pool and returning to his table at 5:05 pm, where he took more sips before heading back to the pool area.

At around 5:08 pm, another lady joined him, and by 5:23 pm, he left two women he had been speaking to and returned to his activities. Nothing in his behaviour at this point suggested he was unwell.

Later in the evening, at 7:47 pm, Amos ordered another drink. The lady who served him joined him at the table, and soon after, a second lady also sat with them.

At 7:56 pm, both women stepped away, leaving him alone. His mood changed sharply after this. The footage shows him suddenly dozing off at the table and remaining in that state for almost an hour, up to around 9 pm.

At 9:22 pm, his head fell backward, and that is believed to be the moment he died. A bartender attempted to support him, but it was already too late.

His brother arrived at 10:49 pm and tried to wake him, only to discover he had passed away.

Detectives from the DCI are now waiting for the toxicology report, expected next week, to help determine what exactly led to his death.

It's antimicrobial resistance awareness week .

I think one of the saddest scenes of community pharmacy practice is seeing a patient who needs proper care in a hospital but is unwilling (or not able) to make that trip to the hospital.

For some the money to go to the hospital is the problem. For most, the zeal to make the journey to the hospital is their own problem. The latter group is more common.

Their frustration comes from the cumbersome process one has to pass through especially in a teaching hospital before getting to see a doctor, who in many cases may even be dismissive of their concerns.

In the pharmacy, we notice how free patients are to discuss their concerns. Sometimes in counselling patients, you get information which they didn't bring to the attention of their doctors. Whether it is fear or lack of time or whatever, it may just be hard to know.

As a pharmacist who owns a community pharmacy, please endeavor to have a solid referral scheme for your patients. Give them all the necessary details they need to see a specialist and get better care where needed. Do your part and also do a follow up.

Most times these efforts give a positive look to your yearly accounts. But even if it does not, at least you're dutifully fulfilling your pharmacist oath and generally making the world a better place.