AIC Kijabe Hospital in Kiambu County has been sued by a father who says doctors failed to carry out a mandatory eye screening on his premature son. He says the omission left the boy permanently blind.

The suit was reported by the Daily Nation on Sunday. It centres on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), an eye disease that affects the retinas of babies born too early or too small. Caught in time, ROP can usually be monitored and treated. Left undetected, it can destroy a child's sight.

Twins born at 27 weeks

According to the court papers described by the Nation, the man's wife was taken to the mission hospital on July 10, 2023. Doctors decided to deliver her twins early to save their lives. The babies were born at about 27 weeks and weighed roughly 970 grams each.

One twin died shortly after birth. The surviving baby was admitted to the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The father argues that at that gestational age and weight, his son clearly fell within the group of infants who must be screened for ROP. He cites Ministry of Health guidelines introduced in 2018, which he says require screening for babies born at or below 32 weeks.

Heart check, but no eye check

A central plank of the case is what the hospital did do. The father says doctors arranged a cardiology review as a precaution because of the baby's prematurity. He argues that no similar referral was made to an eye specialist, even though the child was at high risk of ROP.

He says he was willing and able to pay for any specialist eye review the doctors recommended. In his view, the failure denied the child timely screening, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment, and exposed him to a foreseeable and preventable risk of losing his sight.

The family's fears were confirmed early this year. Doctors at Kiambu Level 5 Hospital diagnosed the boy with bilateral ROP, which the Nation reported confirmed permanent blindness in both eyes.

Damages for a lifetime of care

The father wants the court to order the hospital to pay general damages for pain, suffering and permanent disability, and for the child's lost future earning capacity.

He is also seeking the cost of future medical treatment, rehabilitation, specialised education, assistive technology and a caregiver, among other long-term needs.

He told the court he had sent the hospital a demand letter asking it to accept responsibility and compensate the family, but says the letter was ignored.

The hospital had not filed a response to the suit, the Nation reported. The claims are allegations and have not been tested in court. The matter is due for mention at the Kiambu Law Courts on November 16.

A preventable cause of childhood blindness

ROP is one of the leading preventable causes of blindness in children. The risk rises as more very premature babies survive thanks to better neonatal care. The retina's blood vessels are not fully formed in babies born very early. Abnormal growth can follow, especially in infants who need long periods of oxygen therapy.

Screening involves an eye specialist examining the baby's retinas, usually a few weeks after birth, and repeating the checks until the risk has passed. Where dangerous changes are found, laser or injection treatment can often save vision. Timing matters, because the window for effective treatment can be short.

The case is likely to draw attention to how consistently Kenyan hospitals follow ROP screening rules, especially where few eye specialists are trained to examine newborns. It also raises the question of who is responsible when a referral is never made.

AIC Kijabe Hospital, run by the Africa Inland Church, is one of the country's best-known mission hospitals. It is a major referral centre for surgery and specialised care for children.

Photos: AIC Kijabe Hospital entrance, Nation Media Group; twins in an incubator (illustrative, Laquintinie Hospital, Douala), Happi Raphael/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).