US donates 210 test kits, masks to health workers amid looming strike

 

The United States government has donated 210 Abbott RealTime test kits to health workers in Kenya.

This will enable testing for approximately 20,000 people.

With the test kits, the United States also donated 2,000 N95 masks, 43,200 nitrile gloves, 1,080 pairs of shoe covers, and 3,600 disposable gowns for front line health care workers.

Funded by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency, these donations are the latest examples of U.S. support to Kenya to combat Covid-19 and support Kenya’s health care infrastructure.     

"US Embassy Nairobi and the Ministry of Health will coordinate distribution to laboratories with the most urgent testing needs across the country," ambassador Kyle McCarter said.

"Along with Sh7.9 million in PPE to five hospitals and over 3 million USA Marafiki facemasks now being distributed, the United States will continue to support Kenya’s fight against COVID-19 and get the critical equipment directly to those in need.”  

McCarter said the United States donates more than any other country to help Kenya’s health needs with Sh60 billion every year. 

Just for coronavirus, the United States has provided over Sh7 billion in equipment, testing, training, and research as well as supporting health, water and sanitation.

U.S. donations are tracked and inventoried closely to ensure they are used for those most in need.  

Even with this, the doctors' union has told Kenyans to expect the worst as a stalemate between them and the government remains unresolved. 

There's less than a week left to the union's three-week strike notice and no consensus has been reached with their employer. 

“Kenyans, I want to tell you that you are on your own; the patients in the hospitals I want to tell you that you are on your own; people in your homes who suffer from different ailments I want to tell you are on your own. The good government doesn’t care for you anymore,” KMPDU chairman Samwel Oroko said.

 The union has threatened to mobilise their members to desert hospitals from Monday next week.

Similarly, the 14-days strike notice issued by the nurses and clinical officers expires the same day.  

The union on Tuesday said delayed salaries and non-remittance of NHIF deductions had caused friction between them and the national and county governments.