Medics have raised concerns over the government's priority on Covid-19 testing after it emerged that the Ministry of Health, under CS Mutahi Kagwe, had reportedly halted testing of frontline health workers.
A report by the Daily Nation on Saturday, June 6, detailed that testing of medics in Nairobi, a Covid-19 hotspot, had reportedly been shelved as the ministry focused on mass community testing, testing of truck drivers and those in quarantine.
"The process started with the nurses at the Kenyatta National Hospital and stopped there. We have been struggling to have our people tested. The challenge is that the government is claiming that they are testing healthcare workers, but where is the test being done," George Kibore, Kenya Union of Clinical Officers lamented.
In Mombasa County, only medics in isolation and quarantine undergo mandatory testing as others are tested upon request as the Ministry highlighted there was a shortage of testing kits.
Medics in Kajiado County have never been tested similar to Kisumu County. On May 5, 2020, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o stated that the County had not yet received personal protective equipment and testing kits.
According to Kibore, the decision puts medics at risk as they can easily contract the disease, especially from asymptomatic patients. The medics would then act as carriers and spread the disease to the community. He urged the ministry to conduct tests on medics at least every week.
Health CAS, Rashid Aman, refuted the claims, arguing that tests on medics are conducted every two weeks.
"These are very special people. They are normally tested after every two weeks, just to ensure they do not infect themselves and their clients as well," Aman was quoted.
The CAS further affirmed that there is a shortage of testing kits, adding that the situation had created a backlog of samples that have not yet been tested.
According to the report, it also emerged that at least 80 medics have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 as opposed to 54 as announced by the ministry.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has numerously reiterated the importance of protecting health workers. In May 2020, he directed the ministries of Health and Public Service to develop a welfare package to cushion health workers on the frontline.
In addition to that, the Treasury revealed that it had allocated the Health Ministry Ksh1 billion for the recruitment of health workers.
