The fight against Covid-19 pandemic in Nyeri received a major boost after the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated 14 state-of-the-art ventilators and other consumables valued at Sh16.8 million to the County Government.
This now brings to 33 the total number of ventilators the County has in various public and private hospitals taking care of Covid-19 patients.
The donation is part of a generous offer of 200 ventilators by the United States of America through the USAID to Kenya to assist in the fight against the Covid-19.
USAID representative Peter Waithaka speaking while handing over the ventilators to Governor Mutahi Kahiga at his offices, said the gesture by the US government was in response to a conversation between President Donald Trump and President Uhuru Kenyatta where the former pledged to support Kenya’s health sector.
In addition to the donation, Waithaka said USAID had trained 15 health care personnel including biomedical engineers and critical care workers on usage and maintenance of the ventilators and their consumables.
Ten of the ventilators will be distributed to various facilities under the County Government while the remaining four are designated to Kenyatta National Hospital-Othaya Annex.
Waithaka at the same time emphasized on the need for Kenyans to continue following the Covid-19 measures put in place to curb the spread.
Governor Kahiga welcomed the gesture saying the equipment will greatly boost the fight against the pandemic even as the infection rates continue to rise in the county.
He reported that the county had so far recorded 1,134 positive cases from a sample size of 5,169 and 43 deaths.
“The ventilators will come in handy in increasing our capacity of dealing with Covid-19 and in essence save more lives,” said the Governor.
In addition, the Governor said his administration was currently implementing a Sh125 million project of setting up oxygen plants at Mt. Kenya and Karatina Hospitals to ensure there was steady supply of piped oxygen within the facilities.
By Samuel Waititu
