Bad health care4 at the Admin Wing, Dental Unit - Consumer Complaint for Kenyatta National Hospital



SENDER
Cecil Kingsley Hutchinson
YMCA Hostel,
State House Rd
13th June, 2018
Tel: 0772837565
cee***@hotmail.com
Att: Office of the Chief Executive,
Kenyatta National Hospital
Nairobi.

Dear Sir/Madam,
Re: Unhappy With Dental Care and Support at Dental Department, Admin Block.

I wish to chronicle a catalog of negligence and poor workmanship at the dental department as above-mentioned, from Monday the 11th June to present time. This affected the way that I was treated and subsequently my health and I’m in continuous pain.

I first showed up on Saturday 9th and was sent home by receptionist Jackie Oriang, to return on Monday 11th June at 0800 hrs. I had a broken crown for some two days.

0745 hrs. Monday I returned to the Clinic. There were six people ahead of me. I was seen about tenth. Once I paid my bill to the cashier’s and returned, I was directed to a dental person who had a brief look and removed the remaining piece of my crown with her fingers and glove. It was painful! She then said that she needed to refer me to a specialist. I showed her my x-rays which I brought with me at the time.

I waited in Clinic 5, another area, where I was seen by a dental person. (Today Wednesday, 13th, I asked her name and she initially refused. I mentioned my rights and she gave me a name, Njugaue) She said that
I needed to see her Consultant and I waited until about 1130 hrs. The lady Consultant came and looked at my X-rays, then said she wanted some proper X-rays and went away. I was sent to the dental technician for the X-rays.

11.50’s A Dr Mungazi, a black, stout middle-aged man was seeing patients. I believe he saw about three, then said that he was going for 30 minutes break. Before that he looked at all our forms and directed me to register at the reception. I was not told this by the dental lady who saw me. I registered, a matter of 2 minutes but the technician had gone for lunch.

He took about 50 minutes and then when he returned, he spent some 10 – 15 minutes in a side room. He came out, started working on the right side and saw one person. He said that he was going to leave at 1400 hrs and something about trying to find his replacement. He left without saying anything and returned about 20 minutes or more later.

I understood him to say that he would do only certain X-rays and not the others, as there was a problem with something, the machine, I believe.

1407 hrs. I went to Corporate Affairs to complain as I was afraid that the Consultant would leave, and at that point, although Dr Mungazi was around, he was not seeing anyone. One Jacob Simuyi came fairly quickly and spoke to him and some pts. He then told me that Dr Mungazi would see me next. Dr Mungazi agreed and the corporate man left. He did not see me. He handed over to a slimmer, younger dental technician and walked out at 1426 hrs. I never saw him again.

Meanwhile, although I was standing and closest to the X-ray room, the replacement dental technician collected all the paperwork from patients and took mines last. I was really worried and my fears proved right as he had put me to the back of the list. Bear in mind that this is my fifth day with a big hole in my mouth, some pain and having to worry whether or not I’ll see the specialist with the x-rays done. I was also there long before some of those seen!

I asked one of the dental girls, a fair, chubby-looking one (for description purposes) to speak to the dental technician. She called out to him and she gave him my name and expressed the urgency of my case. He said that he would see me. He didn’t, but followed his list.

1519 hrs. The second dental lady that I saw from Clinic 5, came to tell me that the Clinic was now closed and that I would have to return with my X-rays on Wednesday. I was very upset! I told her about the potential risks to my health and she said that she would give me a prescription which she did about 10 minutes later. This left me with the trauma of also having to take antibiotics and going home with no treatment done.

1555 hrs. After speaking to the dental technician, he agreed to see me, but instead called two more people at which point I paid a second visit to the Corporate Office. One Simon came and spoke to him and went away.
1605 I was finally seen, but waited and was brought back at 1650 hrs as, according to him, he had forgotten to do a significant X-ray.

He afterwards gave me the pictures and I was sent home. I never saw the Consultant and the second dental lady I saw refused to put a temporary filling even though I asked. That was a new experience for me. Hungry and tired and with over nine hours in a Dental Clinic.
Wednesday 13th, I returned at about 0810 hrs. I saw the same man at the reception desk who had booked me in. He asked me to pay 200Ksh and return and the cashier sent me back as I needed to pay more.

It was at this point that I learnt that I was booked in as a private patient. Some care! I had to return to reception and was sent back again to pay the right amount, as according to a lady at reception, I was booked in as a non-Kenyan person.

0855 hrs. I paid the money and returned. I saw the receptionist male who then directed me to Clinic 5. I never saw the Consultant.
11.00 I saw the same girl (2nd dental person) who had no badge and refused to give her name but she reluctantly gave me a name when I told her of the patients’ rights. Spelt Njugaue, although the prescription says Mozipo. She said that the Consultant had seen my X-ray and that I was for extraction.

I had to ask for the return of my X-ray and she handed them to me. She was not very kind when I asked for the envelope that I came with and just handed me the X-ray loosely.

1156 hrs. Seen by a Dr Kibett (actually Dr Bett on the prescription), Spent over an hour on the chair and I’m still bleeding and in serious pain. He finished the procedure at about 1315 hrs. He gave me a prescription and I went to the pharmacy then home. Dr Bett, in spite of the problems, was very reassuring and the best person I met by far!!


So here I am. I broke my crown here in Kenya by eating rice and lentils called Dungu, I believe, with stones inside! I went to a Clinic in the middle of the City who thought I would probably need root canal, crown and post. Nine weeks later and I’m at Kenyatta National Hospital and have come away with a very painful extraction and seen mostly by people who seemed to lack empathy.

A very sad experience indeed!!
Please give me my records, as I will return to London soon and would need to see a specialist there for my better health. I feel that they should also reimburse me for the way that I was treated, as I suffered hunger and emotional distress. Thank you.

Respectfully,

Cecil Kingsley Hutchinson
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COMPLAINT #352 - Customer Service Issues
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