Tharaka-Nithi Beyond Zero truck stalls due to lack of fuel

A woman walks past the Tharaka-Nithi Beyond Zero mobile clinic truck that has sat unused at Chuka County Referral Hospital for months due to lack of fuel, drugs and allowance for nurses. Officials say the truck needs specialised service. PHOTO | ALEX NJERU | NATION MEDIA GROUP 

In Summary

• A team of nurses who were offering services on the mobile clinic said they used to spend several nights in the bush for lack of fuel.
• Health department official Walter Mugambi also denied that the county government has failed to fuel the vehicle or pay allowances to nurses working on it.
• Beyond Zero services coordinator John Mbogo confirmed that the truck is not working but declined to comment further.

By ALEX NJERU
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Just one and a half years after First Lady Margaret Kenyatta handed over a Beyond Zero mobile clinic truck to Tharaka-Nithi County, it is already grounded for lack of fuel, drugs and allowances for nurses working on it.

For more than two months, the truck has sat unused at Chuka County Referral Hospital after spending more idle months in Tharaka North Sub-County.

A team of nurses who were offering services on the mobile clinic said they used to spend several nights in the bush for lack of fuel.

A nurse, who declined to be named for fear of intimidation, said the medics worked for a while and paid for their own meals on the job before work stopped and they were called back to their former stations.

“We were sometimes forced to carry food from home because we were never paid our allowances despite working in a very harsh environment,” said the nurse.

STOCKED PAINKILLERS

Her colleague said the truck used to be stocked with painkillers and contraceptives, which were given only to couples seeking reproductive health advice.

Contacted for comment, Tharaka-Nithi County Health Chief Officer Walter Mugambi denied that the truck is no longer in use but said it requires specialised service before it resumes its rounds.

“The vehicle is made in Germany and since they are not common in Kenya, it is hard to get a specialist to service it,” said Mr Mugambi.

He also denied that the county government had failed to fuel the vehicle or pay allowances to nurses working on it.

County clinical officer and Beyond Zero services coordinator John Mbogo confirmed that the truck has stalled but declined to comment further on the matter.

“I am not allowed to address media, but the truck was sent back to Chuka County Referral Hospital,” said Mr Mbogo.