The Health Cabinet Secretary (CS), Mutahi Kagwe has today vowed to fight cartels fleecing the Covid-19 funds in the Ministry of Health.
Speaking on Monday in Kericho after visiting the County to access the County’s level of preparedness and the overall status of health care, Kagwe said that he will fight the cartels in the health ministry who are behind the fleecing of Covid funds until the culprits are brought to book in order to save the Covid-19 fund.
Kagwe said he was impressed and gratified to see first hand development on health facilities, including the equipping of health facilities in the County such as the Kericho County Referral Hospital which has been refurbished.
The CS said that critical care equipment in the facilities, some which were delivered by the national government a while back remain functional and in good state. He said that soon the Kericho Referral hospital will be upgraded to level five hospital status.
Kagwe hailed the Kericho Governor, Prof. Paul Chepkwony and the his health team for going out in total to combat the Covid-19, he noted the critical support the County has with the Walter Reed project, KEMRI, now offering Covid-19 test, including Busia, Kisii, Nandi and Narok Counties among others. He particularly said that he was impressed by the way the government had partnered with the private sector where significant monetary and kind contributions had been made towards the fight against the pandemic in the County.
The CS said that Ainamoi Health Isolation Centre being one of the four other isolation centers which now has 17 patients is well equipped and the facility has set aside a ward for exclusive use by the expectant mothers and lactating Covid-19 mothers. The isolation unit also has maternity wards for Covid-19 positive mothers who need the services.
Kagwe who was accompanied by the Acting Director General of Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth said that the health ministry has noted with concern that stigmatization is still a problem in efforts to contain the disease, and appealed to Kenyans to saying that though Covid-19 was highly infectious, it was a not a death sentence.
Kagwe said that patients who have contracted the disease many have recovered and are no longer shedding the virus, adding that there was absolutely no reason to stigmatize anyone with the disease.
The CS during the tour visited Kericho Referral Hospital, the Walter Reed Project, KEMRI and Ainamoi Covid-19 Treatment Centre where he addressed the media and the public.
Kericho County has so far recorded 116 cases with 17 who are now undergoing treatment at Ainamoi Isolation Centre, 46 others are undergoing home based care, there are 20 recoveries today with 2 deaths.
By Dominic Cheres
