In contrast: Life or death
To avoid stillbirths, women in Kenya bribe overworked doctors
Doctors working long hours for low salaries accept bribes from as low as $20 to prioritise patients.
Since 2013, the Kenyan government has provided free maternity services at government-run hospitals, including antenatal services until the child reaches the age of five.
This was part of a government programme to curb the rise in cases of maternal mortality - 400 in every 100,000 live births in 2017, according to the WHO.
Neonatal deaths stand at 34 in every 1,000 live births according to the WHO, making Kenya one of the lowest ranking Sub-Saharan African countries for maternal health.
Pumwani Maternity Hospital, one of the oldest institutions in Kenya and founded in the 1920s, is currently under investigation for medical negligence and child trafficking by the Medical Practitioners and Dentist Board (MPDB), a government agency.
"Yes, we have received reports of women paying money when they are not supposed to do so just to give life," said Daniel Yumbya, the chief legal officer at the board. "We have as a result cancelled the licenses of some doctors, about 46 of them.
"We will soon be sending a proposal to the Kenyan parliament on new measures to punish medical practitioners who break the law."
Yumbya said some women have lost their lives waiting to deliver babies through emergency cesarean sections in various hospitals.
He said that eight private maternal clinics have been shut down countrywide by overcharging their patients in the last few months. Illegal deals by doctors have also killed pregnant women, he said.
"We are also investigating St Mary's, a Catholic hospital, for overcharging their patients way beyond the normal amount of $50 for a normal delivery. It's disappointing that a missionary hospital can do such a thing," said Yumbya.
He said that there is no recent data on bribery as most cases go unreported. But based on regular complaints, he explained, the trend is worrying.
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/avoid-stillbirths-women-kenya-bribe-overworked-doctors-190130235838101.html