Members of the Garissa County Assembly have voiced serious concerns over a disturbing rise in maternal deaths linked to obstetric procedures at the Garissa County Referral Hospital.
Saka Ward MCA, Hon. Abdiweli Aden Abdullahi, raised the alarm while seeking a statement from the Chairperson of the Committee on Health regarding a pattern of fatalities associated with hysterectomy procedures at the facility.
According to Hon. Abdiweli, multiple reports corroborated by healthcare professionals and affected families indicate that several mothers have tragically died during or after undergoing uterus removal surgeries.
He noted that these repeated incidents have sparked widespread public concern and raised serious questions about the quality of maternal care, the safety of surgical interventions, and the level of institutional oversight at the hospital.
Majority Leader Hon. Mohamed Abdi Farah described the hospital as “an active crime scene,” and called for an immediate and thorough investigation.
Madogashe Ward MCA, Hon. Mahat Abdikadir, echoed the urgency of the matter, emphasizing that lives were at stake and urging the relevant authorities to act without delay. He assured the House that the Health Committee, on which he serves, would table a comprehensive report within fourteen days.
Hon. Abdiweli called on the Health Committee to ascertain the total number of maternal deaths recorded at the facility in the past three months, and to identify how many were directly linked to hysterectomy procedures. He also urged a review of the medical justifications provided for each surgery to determine whether they aligned with national guidelines and WHO standards on maternal care.
Additional concerns centered around whether the surgeries were carried out by licensed and adequately qualified personnel, and if the lead surgeons possessed sufficient experience in obstetrics and gynecology.
Hon. Abdiweli emphasized the importance of evaluating whether key medical protocols were followed, including pre-operative risk assessments, informed consent procedures, and proper post-operative monitoring.
The MCAs called for urgent action to protect maternal health and restore public confidence in the county’s primary referral facility. They further recommended that the Ministry of Health deploy a specialized team to Garissa to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.
