The government will continue to partner with private health facilities especially those managed by the faith based organizations in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr. Rashid Aman revealed that those facilities will also be provided with Covid-19 personal protective equipment in a bid to cushion their health staff from contracting the infectious disease.
The CAS made the remarks at Tenwek Mission hospital Friday while on the tour of Bomet County to assess the level of preparedness in the fight against the pandemic.
“We will work closely with non-profit making health providers who account for about 45 percent of health care in the country and they have been providing quality services to the citizenry over the years,” he said.
Dr. Aman said that health providers should move from curative services to preventive and primary health care services for a health nation.
“As the government is preparing for Universal Health Care (UHC) health providers should start outreach programmes such as the one undertaken by faith based health providers,” he stated.
Tenwek Mission hospital director Dr. Stephen Burgets said that despite the hospital specializing in heart treatment and surgery, they have also embarked on the fight against Covid-19.
“In support of the government programme in containing the pandemic, we have set aside an isolation centre with 25 bed capacity with well-trained ICU nurses,” said Dr. Burgets.
He said the county government had seconded six doctors and eight clinical officers to the facility, aimed at assisting them in the fight against Covid-19, thus cutting down on their labour costs.
Bomet governor Dr. Hillary Barchok who accompanied the CAS said that the county administration had met the presidential directive of establishing 300 bed isolation centres at Longisa County referral hospital, Koiwa Sub county hospital, Ndanai hospital and the two mission hospitals of Kaplong and Tenwek.
Barchok said that the county had prepared 22 schools as quarantine centres, but only four were functioning.
The CAS later addressed the nation on the status of Covid-19 from Koiwa sub county hospital which is the main isolation centre for the pandemic with 230 bed capacity.
By Joseph Obwocha
