Kisumu residents are once again raising the alarm over the state of services at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH), accusing the facility of neglect and severe understaffing.
Fresh complaints, including one sent to Blogger Cyprian Nyakundi on Wednesday, paint a grim picture of the hospital’s emergency wing, where patients are reportedly left unattended for hours. Witnesses claim that during crucial hours—even midday—doctors are nowhere to be seen, allegedly taking lunch breaks at the same time, leaving patients to suffer.
A distraught resident, speaking anonymously to blogger, described watching a child with burn injuries and an elderly woman in visible pain wait for help for hours, with no medical personnel in sight. “That place isn’t a hospital—it’s a death trap,” the source wrote. “People are left languishing for three hours or more, and no one cares.”
According to staff responses reported by those at the scene, only one doctor was on duty and stationed in the ICU and HDU, leaving other patients to wait indefinitely.
Sadly, these claims aren’t isolated. Many in Kisumu say they’ve experienced or witnessed similar situations, pointing to deeper systemic issues in the county's health sector under Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s leadership.
The outrage in Kisumu mirrors national concerns. Just last week, senators visiting Wajir County found similar scenes—overflowing wards, absentee health workers, and patients who had waited days without attention. That visit has since sparked renewed debate over the condition of county hospitals across Kenya.
Kisumu residents are now calling on the Senate Health Committee to visit the city and investigate conditions at JOOTRH and other public health facilities. They believe national scrutiny and public pressure are urgently needed to push both the County Government and the Ministry of Health to address what many see as a failure in healthcare delivery.
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