When Florence Akinyi Omollo gave birth to her daughter in 2019, she was elated. Little did she know this joy wouldn’t last long as her baby began developing persistent chest problems.
She resorted to getting the best medication for her daughter Everlyne Tiffany Owino by going to India on October 3.
The girl was to undergo an open-heart-surgery at New Delhi’s Fortis Escort Heart Institute (FEHI).
Since their stay was to last for three months in India, and the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) having committed to pay Ksh 500,000 as part of the bill, she decided to travel while her husband, a mechanic in Umoja Inner core, mobilized funds through friends and relatives.
She found out she was wrong after realizing that the surgery would cost Ksh 1 million. A double price from the 500,000 NHIF had committed to pay.
Since October 33, the little girl has not been admitted due to lack of hospital fees. On October 6, FEHI wrote to confirm that they had received the NHIF’s Guarantee of Payment (GOP) but noted the estimated cost was higher than ‘GOP.’
The mother is now forced to stay with her daughter in an affordable hotel in India, the girl survives only on suckling or blended fruits.
Akinyi has maintained that nothing can stop her from finding the straight and hopes.
Her decision to move to India was as a result of the doctor’s warning that time was running out and that the surgery would have to be done before the end of October.
With the decision she made with her husband, she traveled to India with the baby while the husband remained in Nairobi to organize a fund drive. Her return ticket cost sh 94,000.
“Due to the complexity of the case and severe PAH (Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension), the baby has been referred abroad where the pulmonary measures can be managed,” wrote Kenyatta National Hospital’s Naomi Gachara, the KNH’s Pediatric Cardiologist.