By: Yusuff Baishe
A heated debate has emerged in Lamu following recent complaints about the existence of a “Private Wing” at King Fahad Referral Hospital. The discussion started on June 22 at a WritAfrica Baraza meeting, where residents questioned why a public hospital would operate a private section that seems to cater only to the wealthy.
The Voices of the Public: “Is it for the rich only?”
During the meeting, one resident expressed her frustration: “Our public hospital now has a private wing. It has everything because it is for the rich—it has become like London. Do we, the poor, get any services there?”
This feeling of being left behind is shared by many. Ahmed Shee, a resident of Amu Island, shared his concerns when asked about the facility. “The private wing is just there to collect money from the rich, not for people like us. It is surprising that a public hospital has such a section,” he said.
Adding to these concerns, Suleiman Bakari, an elderly resident of Amu, explained the daily struggles of the local community. “Our lives here in Amu are difficult, and we all know it,” he said. “It is often better for me to just go to a shop and buy Panadol than to go to the hospital. What is the point of me going to the hospital when I have no money? I cannot afford the private wing fees, and when you look at the public services, they are very weak.”
For many like Mzee Bakari, the existence of a high-cost private wing feels like a wall blocking them from the care they desperately need. When public services are seen as “weak,” the presence of a better-equipped private section feels unfair to those who cannot afford to pay for it.
The Hospital’s Perspective: “Economic Sustainability”
To understand the other side, we spoke to a staff member at the hospital who chose to remain anonymous. According to the staff member, the Lamu Corporate (Private Wing) was not created to exclude the poor, but to keep the hospital financially stable.
“The goal is to ensure that health insurance money stays within this hospital, instead of going to private hospitals outside the county,” the staff member explained. “People can pay cash or use their insurance. It is a different service level.”
The staff member highlighted key differences between the public and private wings:
Cost: While a hospital bed in the general public ward costs 250 KES, a bed in the private wing costs 6,000 KES.
Resources: The private wing uses different, often faster, supply chains for medicine, whereas the public wing relies on KEMSA (the government agency).
Staffing: The private section is often managed by Medical Officers (MOs), while the general wards are often managed by Clinical Officers (COs).
