A nurse attached to the Kakamega Referral Hospital on Tuesday, December 8, collapsed and died at his home in Shikangania village in what is suspected to be a Covid-19 case.
The nurse, Wycliffe Almasa, allegedly had breathing difficulties and is said to have been unwell since Saturday.
Speaking to journalists, his wife narrated that he had undergone the Covid-19 test and was yet to receive his results. He had also tested for other diseases like malaria and typhoid, which all turned negative.
"He changed suddenly and fell down. It was hard to tell if he was still alive or not and so I checked his pulse, which was there at first but later faded," a pastor privy to the matter narrated.
The family suspected that he died of covid-19 given the fact that he exhibited most of the symptoms.
The body was taken to Kakamega Referral Hospital as the family awaits his Covid-19 results.
Almasa's death came just days after a youthful doctor who had been serving in Machakos County under the Universal Health Coverage(UHC) pilot programme, Stephen Mogusu, passed on.
Mogusu, who had been admitted at the Kenyatta University Referral Hospital, died of Covid-19.
Prior to his death, Mogusu had expressed his frustration with the mismanagement in the health sector that has seen a section of doctors serve for nearly five months without a salary.
The Health Ministry has since regretted the incident and promised to take care of health workers.
“It’s actually heartbreaking. We have seen the concerns in the media from the union members, we have talked to friends of the doctor who passed on.
"We are well aware of the heartbreak that they are going through and we are in discussions to ensure that the family is able to get the aid they require but additionally that we are able to ensure that this isn’t a situation that recurs among other healthcare workers,” Health CAS Mercy Mwangangi stated.
