The Nairobi Hospital which operates under Kenya Hospital Association (KHA) has addressed a series of allegations levelled against the facility in recent days.
Nairobi Hospital Board of Management’s chairman Chris Bichage in a statement on September 13, 2024, spoke about various reports against the hospital which include alleged financial constraints, tribal recruitment, poor governance corruption and mismanagement.
Bichage in the statement refuted the allegations saying that they are being peddled around are choreographed out of frustration by unnamed individuals.
“On behalf of the Board of Management, I dare say that the allegations of corruption and poor governance being peddled around are choreographed out of frustration by individuals who have failed to manipulate our sound governance structures for their own selfish gain and have now resorted to mounting a smear campaign against the Hospital,” reads part of the statement.
“I urge journalists to challenge these people to table evidence of the allegations they are making against the Board of Management, because that is what responsible journalism is all about.”
While responding to the allegations of corruption and mismanagement that are said to have been raised by a section of KHA members, the Board chair said that the allegations of conflict of interest, cronyism and nepotism, are unsubstantiated.
Recruitment Process
He argued that the Board of Management with support from the Board of Trustees have put in place several policies which play a crucial role in enhancing good governance within the hospital.
“Note that up to the year 2020, the Hospital did not have policies and other, governance instruments in place, which heightened the institution’s risk exposure over a long period of time,” stated Bichage.
The hospital’s board chair further challenged anyone who has evidence of corruption within the medical facility to come forward and table it, adding that anyone found guilty will be brought to book as per the laid down policies and procedures.
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On the hospital facing a financial crisis, Bichage provided an update of the financial performance in which he said that the institution’s financial base is healthy, adding that bed occupancy has been averaging above 70%.
Nairobi Hospital addresses allegations of Financial Crisis
He highlighted that the hospital’s staff salaries get paid by 24th of every month and that staff’s low-interest mortgage and car loan facility is already being utilized.
“Over the last four years, payments to our consultant doctors have not only been prompt, but a steady growth rate has also been observed each year as follows: 2020 (Ksh1,124,432,729); 2021 (Ksh1,298,483,331); 2022 (1,591,210,605); 2023 (1,627,123,948); 2024 (nearly a billion shillings has already been paid),” the notice reads.
Further, the hospital attached graphic presentations which it cited steady growth of monthly average payments to doctors, the hospital’s revenue trend, and the surplus/deficit metrics in the last five years.
The hospital argued that the trend confirms that its financial performance is promising, adding that the overall 2024 Quarter 1 performance had a surplus of Ksh88 million.
Bichage said that based on these figures, it is clear that the hospital is not an institution that is collapsing as being alleged.
Staff ethnic representation
Also, the Nairobi Hospital board addressed allegations of ethnicity in its staff recruitment process.
The hospital said that its processes of recruitment are strictly guided by the Hospital’s Human Resource Policies and Procedure Manual, whose key planks are merit, equity and fairness.
“Before the HR Policy came into place, there were several labour-related cases, but this has drastically changed since the implementation of the HR policy commenced,” said Bichage.
“This is why in 2023. we only had two labour-related cases filed against the Hospital. This underlines the importance of governance instruments in an organisation such as ours.”
Bichage on the other hand has maintained that all Kenyans of majority age who are interested in accessing the hospital’s services as members are at liberty to join the company’s membership.
He said that provided these Kenyans apply for membership and satisfy the board as to the reasons for seeking membership of the company, they will be granted admission.
Damning allegations
The response by the Nairobi Hospital Board comes following reports that the hospital has been marred with corruption and bribes which threaten to sink the operations of the facility.
In addition, reports alleged that there was a lack of transparency in the recruitment process and that the hospital was being marred with financial challenges.
Also, the statement came after past reported boardroom wars which saw members of KHA call for an extraordinary general meeting earlier in the year.
In a petition addressed to the KHA boar, the members of the requisition group cited a loss of confidence with the board of directors’ leadership in which it listed 13 directors, including Chairman Bichage and Vice Chairman Philemon Mwaisaka.
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