Crime Watch

FIDA-Kenya lashes out at Pandya Hospital over patient assault

She said despite reporting to the hospital management in late 2024, no action has been taken against the doctor

The Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (FIDA-Kenya) has censured a doctor who assaulted a female patient at Pandya Memorial Hospital in Mombasa.

In a statement to the police, the patient said the doctor took advantage of her early morning dialysis sessions to harass her through unconsented sexual conversation, groping, and finally raping her over.

She said despite reporting to the hospital management in late 2024, no action has been taken against the doctor by the management.

FIDA Kenya board chairperson Christine Kungu and FIDA Coast chairperson Jane Onyango condemned the act saying it violated the medical ethics, criminal law, and the fundamental rights of patients to safety and dignity.

They said the hospital has repeatedly ignored the report about the doctor’s conduct. “Their failure to intervene not only enabled the crime to continue but also showed the hospital’s systemic failure to protect patients from sexual violence. They aided this crime through their indifference and inaction,” they said in a statement.

FIDA said the sexual assault of a dialysis patient while undergoing dialysis warrants the maximum penalty under the laws of Kenya – sexual offenses Act, Penal Code, and the Health Act of 2017 and Cap. 253, the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act which allows revocation of licenses of health facilities that fail to ensure patient safety.

Cap. 257 of the Nurses Act also provides for disciplinary measures against the nurses for professional misconduct. FIDA Kenya now wants the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) in Mombasa to arrest and charge the accused doctor. They also want the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) to suspend the licenses of all those involved until complete investigations are concluded.

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In addition, they said FIDA-Kenya would file a civil lawsuit against Pandya Memorial Hospital Mombasa and seek compensation for the survivor for gross negligence and failure to protect her.

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