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Counties ill-equipped to fight Covid third wave — report

 

Most county governments are ill-prepared to tackle the third wave of Covid-19, a new Senate report shows.

The first progressive report of the Senate Health Committee on the situation of the Covid-19 pandemic shows most healthcare facilities are still ill-equipped, a year after the virus hit the country.

The report tabled on the floor of the House on Tuesday indicates that the facilities lack basic oxygen equipment, requisite personnel to run intensive care units and isolation facilities.

The report disclosed that as of Wednesday, the 47 county governments had 7,587 isolation beds against a requirement of 13,144.

Cumulatively, the devolved units have 319 ICU beds against a requirement of 506 beds.

However, the report does not show the distribution of isolation and ICU beds per county.

“The committee said according to the submissions of the KMPDU and health worker representative groups who appeared, most counties remain ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic.”

“This is evidenced by lack of basic oxygen equipment in most county health facilities and lack of the requisite personnel to run ICU and isolation facilities,” it adds.

The committee demanded the counties urgently expand ICU and isolation infrastructure.

The facilities should be matched with the availability of requisite specialised personnel including ICU nurses, medical anesthesiologists and anaesthetists.

“The counties should ensure that adequate basic oxygen equipment is made available at all level 2, 3, 4 and 5 health facilities to respond to the pandemic,” the committee recommended.

Lawmakers warned that if containment measures put in place to break the chain of transmission are not implemented, the counties’ healthcare system will be overrun and will be unable to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Already, there are reports that most facilities are overstretched with patients, some in critical condition, being turned away for lack of beds.

The third wave has proved deadly with infection rates spiralling to an all-time high.

On Monday, the positivity rate hit a high of 26.6 per cent – implying that for every 100 people tested, over a quarter or more than 26 were found to be infected with the virus.

By Tuesday, 2, 147 people had succumbed to the contagion, with 132,646 others testing positive. The cumulative tests conducted so far are 1,480,240.

The committee, chaired by Trans Nzoia Senator Michael Mbito, reckons that according to the Council of Governor's testimony, most pandemic preparedness and response interventions had been hampered by a lack of adequate resources.

They cited delayed releases of funds from the National Treasury.

“The committee recommends the National Treasury act urgently to ensure the prompt and timely disbursement of the county's shareable revenue under the provisions of Article 219 of the Constitution,” the report reads.

The nine-member panel suggests that despite an upsurge of confirmed cases of Covid-19 and growing fears that the country is in a lethal stage of the third wave, healthcare facilities in the devolved units are still ill-equipped.

The committee also wants the Ministry of Health and Treasury to urgently address the Sh790 million budgetary deficit at Kemri to enable the institute to recruit, train additional staff, and purchase laboratory reagents and materials for Covid-19 screening and testing.

Besides, the lawmakers want the government to finance Kemri to carry out high impact research on Covid-19 and procure various equipment needed.  BY THE STAR  

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