Shalom Hospital Shut Down After Morphine Overdose Killed 7-Month Baby Ethan

The controversial Shalom Hospital in Athi River, Machakos County, has been shut down after investigations have revealed that the death of Ethan Muendo, a 7-month-old boy who had been taken to the facility with mild burns, died after receiving an overdose of morphine from a nurse at the facility.

Morphine, which is a drug prescribed medically to relieve pain can be deadly when in overdose as witnessed in the case of baby Ethan.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board Chairman, Prof. Fredrick Were, said baby Ethan Muendo has injected a dose of morphine that was 20 times stronger than the required prescription amount.

Prof. Were, during a press address at the Shalom Hospital on Monday, said Baby Ethan required to have been given an oral medication of the drug but the health facility did not have it in stock which led to the prescribing practitioner to advise that Ethan be injected with the dose of morphine.

“It was thought necessary that the child is given medication to reduce the pain that may come with the dressing. A medication called morphine was prescribed to be given by mouth,” Prof. Were explained.

“The boy was prescribed 0.2ml orally but the hospital did not have the syrup so it was changed to 20 milligrams injection instead of 1 milligram,” said Professor Were who added that the overdose caused Ethan to be weak and drowsy.

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“It ties with what happened… The child went drowsy, went home sleepy and was brought back still very sleepy and in that process of time the child was lost,” Prof. Were explained the last events that led to Baby Ethan’s death.

Baby Ethan was a healthy baby who only needed minor burns that were not at all life-threatening, attended to. Baby Ethan’s parents, Juliana Mutheu and Jonathan Musau have vowed to seek justice for the life of their son which was abruptly taken in a case viewed as negligent.

Shalom Hospital has since been shut down indefinitely where the Managing Director George Onyango and two other staff members remain in custody pending investigations. Shalom hospital’s license, which is a private-owned facility, has also been withdrawn.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board also revoked the practicing permit for Shalom Hospital where the management asked to immediately clear up with the patients.

Shalom hospital was on the spot again two weeks ago after a woman delivered on the hospital’s floor in a case viewed as of negligence.