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A group of patients from Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), including mothers carrying babies, interrupted a press conference by Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Deborah Barasa. 

The patients, frustrated by delays in accessing medical services, walked from the hospital to Afya House to demand answers regarding the failure of the Social Health Authority (SHA) system.

One of the women who confronted the CS expressed her frustration, saying, "We have been moving from one office to another, but no one is helping us. 

We need treatment, and the system is not working." According to the patients, the system had been down for two days, causing delays in their treatment and administrative processes.

In response to their complaints, CS Barasa acknowledged the challenges and apologized for the inconvenience caused by the system failure. 

"We understand the frustration this has caused, and I want to assure you that the issue is being addressed," she said. 

The CS further explained that technical issues sometimes occur even in advanced health systems worldwide and that efforts were being made to restore normal operations.

Meanwhile, KNH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Evanson Kamuri confirmed the system outage, explaining that it had affected service delivery. 

"We experienced a system downtime, but we have deployed more staff to handle the backlog and ensure patients are served promptly," he said. 

Kamuri assured patients that the SHA system had been restored and was now fully operational.

Despite the explanations from the hospital and the Ministry of Health, some patients remained unsatisfied. 

One of them said, "We have suffered for too long. Every time they tell us to wait, but we need treatment now." 

The disruptions highlighted the challenges patients face when systems fail, especially those in urgent need of medical attention.

The press conference, which was meant to address other health sector issues, turned into a heated session as patients demanded immediate action. 

However, no reports have indicated any police action against the woman or other patients who stormed the event.

As the situation unfolded, CS Barasa promised that her ministry would take measures to prevent such disruptions in the future. 

"We are working to ensure the system remains stable and that all Kenyans get the healthcare they deserve," she assured.