Doctors Performed Brain Surgery On The Wrong Patient, Staff Suspended


Doctors conducted a brain operation on a man who only required non-invasive treatment for swelling in a hospital in Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. The brain surgery was meant for a patient suffering from a blood clot, but there was a mix-up in placing the identification tags, and the medical staff took the wrong man to the operating room.

The mistake was discovered hours into the surgery once the doctors realized there was no blood clot. According to a statement issued by the hospital in question, the patient who went through the brain surgery is currently in recovery.

As noted by BBC News, the mix-up was a first in Kenya, and the board in charge of regulating medical practice in the country will hold a hearing and has already requested a report from the hospital involving the incident.

While the news of having doctors perform brain surgery on the wrong patient is the main concern of the agencies involved, the public also took to social media to voice their thoughts about the incident.

Medical Staff Suspended

Lily Koros, the CEO of the hospital, expressed how much they regret the incident and that they are doing the best they can to take care of the wronged patient. She also updated the public about the speedy recovery of the man, adding that four members of the medical staff involved in the surgery on the eve of February 19, namely the neurosurgeon, anesthetist, the ward nurse, and theatre receiving nurse, were suspended following the incident.

While Koros seems to be firm on the decision to suspend the neurosurgeon, other doctors in the hospital protested since they blame the nurses who prepared the patient for mixing up the identification tags.

“As unit colleagues, we believe that while our friend may have exhibited some procedural shortcomings, the surgery was done on the wrong patient mainly because of wrong patient labelling by the ward staff.”

According to the Star, the doctors blamed the faulty system and pointed out that the hospital administration needs to fix it first. The medical practitioners also expressed their fears that what happened to their colleague will also happen to them.

A Controversial History

However, KNH has not been involved in just this controversy. Just six weeks ago, there were issues that women who just gave birth were assaulted at the hospital. There was also an issue about a woman who kidnapped a baby from the hospital premises.

The public outcry over the doctors who performed brain surgery on the wrong patient will force agencies to take a closer look at the incident and, hopefully, find a way to correct the system.

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