Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi on Thursday, November 5, painted a picture of the surging number of Covid-19 cases after he went on a six-hour search for a hospital bed in Nairobi.
In an interview, the legislator disclosed that he was helping a fellow parliamentarian to find a bed for a relative who had breathing problems.
"I was trying to help a parliamentarian whose brother was brought to Nairobi at 10 p.m. suffering from suspected Covid-19. We went around the entire city looking for a bed," he stated.
After a long search that lasted six hours, Wamatangi stated that they finally found an ICU bed in a remote hospital at 4 a.m.
"The bed had just been vacated an hour before and we were charged Ksh300,000 to occupy the bed," he revealed.
The senator expressed concern over the amount asked and wondered how ordinary Kenyans could afford the hospital services.
During an address on November 4, President Uhuru Kenyatta noted that since the containment measures were relaxed in September 2020, the bed occupancy in hospitals had risen by 140%.
Medical officers under the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) on Tuesday, November 3, noted that the hospitals were been stretched with increasing cases and urged county governments to improve access to Covid-19 testing and equip health facilities to accommodate and care for patients, particularly those in need of critical care.
The Association further requested the government to hire more health workers to ensure every Kenyan had access to the highest attainable standard of healthcare.
"Provide adequate and quality personal protective equipment to all health workers and implement the compensation plan for health workers and pay salaries on time," the statement read in part.
Kenya's caseload stood at 58,587 as of November 4, reporting record numbers in 24 hours with Wednesday's numbers being the highest cases at 1,494.
At the same time, the number of deaths stands at 1,051on Wednesday with 1,313 patients admitted in various health facilities countrywide, while 5,005 are on home-based isolation and care.
