NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 25– Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) has partnered with AAR insurance to cover over 29,000 nurses countrywide.
According to the Union’s Secretary General Seth Panyako, the initiative will cover medical negligence cases, personal accident, school and home insurance.
Panyako pointed out that the indemnity policy will cover cases arising out of court judgements where nurses have been fined for medical negligence, defense together with professional costs.
“Each and every health worker from January must have professional indemnity cover,” he insisted.
AAR Insurance Chief Executive Officer Nick Shigoli stated that the cover will help nurses protect their profession.
“This partnership demonstrates our commitment to our mission of delivering value by empowering individuals to take control of things that matter most to them,” Shigoli said.
He stated that the professional indemnity cover will ensure healthcare workers are not exposed to losses arising from litigation in their line of duty as they have big impact on economic status as well as family.
Instances where medical practitioners have faced charges over allegations to have misdiagnosed patients, have often resulted to hefty damages for medical negligence.
A nurse in Kwale county was recently charged in caught for misdiagnosing a patient with HIV and putting them on antiretroviral drugs together with her one-year-old baby for three months.
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Kenyatta National Hospital has in recent years been caught up in medical negligence cases, the most prominent being a botched surgical operation in March where a patient’s intestines were damaged during a Caesarean Section operation.
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The internal organs of 36-year-old Susan Nekesa were reportedly damaged during a Caesarian Section operation conducted on her on January 24, 2018.
