A Citizen TV journalist bravely stepped into the well guarded Mbagathi hospital hosting some of the patients with the dreaded Coronavirus in an effort to shed light on their tough life.
In the exclusive access given to the Kilimani-based TV station, Special Assignments editor Asha Mwilu assembled her crew who accessed the facilities with cameras for the first time.
The section the crew covered had been sealed off to take care of the fast-spreading virus and is equipped with isolation wards with a capacity of 60.
In the beginning, the crew has to wear protective equipment covering them from head to toe and while inside, they were asked to maintain a safe distance.
The door to the wards is locked from outside and those on the inside cannot leave. "Once the team is in, the door is again locked from the outside," stated Mwilu.
The wards felt very clinical and walls smelt of fresh paint, as Mwilu observed, owing to the fact that the state had to prepare the wing fast as the virus was spreading across the world.
What caught the eye was a case in which a young man who Mwilu interacted with inside the hospital had been under quarantine for 14 days and had tested positive all through.
He disclosed that he did not feel any effects but every time samples of him were taken, they turned up positive.
"In this moment of uncertainty, it is only fair for some of us to come up and share our experiences with our countrymen about what is happening
"I am 19 years old and I got a scholarship in Switzerland and when I travelled home, I was felt quite weak. I suspected it was Malaria and I went to a hospital in Bungoma, the fever subsided. On my way back, the fever rose and that was when I was rushed to Mbagathi," stated the man identified as Stephen.
"I have been here for 25 days which is unusual. Those I came here with left and many others who came in after me also left," he added.
Stephen shared the space with various other patients whose recounts on how they contracted the virus were varied. One woman got it from a friend's party where she was assisting with chef duties.
The patients are not allowed to leave the wards. Cleaners and other support staff, however, access the facility to provide them with food and other essentials.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary Susan Mochache has previously revealed that the government spends over Ksh1 million to treat Covid-19 patients with a large part of the sum being used on equipment for medics.
"Remember that in just one day a Covid-19 patient requires about five different workers around them wearing the kit so we are looking at an average spend of Ksh50,000 sometimes up to Ksh100,000 to take care of one patient.
"Do the math and that patient will be in the hospital for an average of say 20 days," stated Mochache.
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