Homa Bay County has received medical equipment worth Sh800, 000 from Diakonia Compassionate Ministry in collaboration with the Lake Region Economic Block (LREB).
The donation follows LREB assessment on Covid-19 situation in the 14 counties constituting the lake region whereby Homa Bay emerged top.
The equipment included five oxygen concentrators and 30 pulse oximeters and are meant to assist in the management of COVID-19 through the home-based care program.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony held at the governor’s office, the Director of Diakonia Compassionate Ministry Rev. David Chuchu explained that the equipment was part of an initiative to contain Covid-19 contagion in the lake region counties.
Rev. Chuchu said focus now ought to be shifted to home-based care to relieve the limited health facilities within the region adding: “We do not have sufficient hospitals to accommodate every patient but if we focus on prevention, we will effectively manage the spread of the virus.”
The director reiterated that the attention of the county health department should be directed towards training and strengthening community health workers on the provision of healthcare services at homestead levels and to know when to refer patients to the hospitals.
On his part, Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti thanked the two organizations for the support adding that the county had sufficiently been prepared in terms of the home-based care program but would still put more efforts towards improving service delivery and coverage by the community health workers.
“The county has employed over 3,000 community health workers where each health worker attends to ten households. Every one of these health workers has the responsibility to issue reports on a weekly basis to the county health department, providing information on the development of patients as well as those referred to health facilities,” stressed Awiti.
He disclosed that the medical professionals that represented Diakonia had been working hand in hand with healthcare providers at the county referral hospital.
Awiti cautioned Kenyans to take personal responsibility in adhering to protocols put in place by the Ministry of Health to curb contagion.
By Omar Zabbibah and Davis Langat
