2-year-old boy with fork jembe lodged in h**d succumbs during surgery at KNH

By , K24 Digital
On Tue, 11 Oct, 2022 22:55 | < 1 min read
2-year-old boy with fork jembe lodged in head succumbs during surgery at KNH
Collage of X-ray image of the fork jembe lodged in the boy's head and KHN's accident and emergency section. PHOTO/Courtesy

Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) is on the spot again following the death of the two-year-old boy who had a fork jembe lodged in his head.

Reports indicate that the minor succumbed during surgery after over a 20-hour delay by KNH to conduct an operation to remove the jembe.

Prior to the surgery, the hospital was put on blast for alleged negligence after photos of the minor went viral on social media.

The family had claimed that the hospital failed to treat the boy's case as an emergency delaying an operation to remove the fork from the minor's head for nearly 24 hours, eliciting fury from netizens.

X-ray image of the fork jembe lodged in the boy's head. PHOTO/Courtesy
X-ray image of the fork jembe lodged in the boy's head.
PHOTO/Courtesy

In contrast, KNH, in a statement said the delay was occasioned by clotting complications as doctors figured out how to stabilize the boy who was losing a lot of blood.

"The patient had lost a lot of blood and as a result, the clotting process was not occurring as expected, thereby, delaying the surgical procedure as this would have been dangerous to the patient," the hospital clarified.

The boy is said to have been playing with other children at their home when he was hit with the jembe.

He was rushed to Thika Level V Hospital, where medical personnel administered first aid, before referring him to the city hospital.

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