Kenya has only 70 Intensive Care Units (ICU) beds available for Covid-19 patients, a probe by a parliamentary committee has revealed.
A progress report by the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Covid-19 also found out that only 297 ventilators were available in the country before the outbreak, and that out of these, public hospitals had only 90.
An additional 30 ventilators procured recently are yet to be delivered to various hospitals, compounding the critical shortages in the country’s healthcare system amid a crisis that, according to the Health ministry, could cost the lives of up to 30,000 people.
According to the report by the committee chaired by Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja (pictured), Kenya has a total of 518 ICU beds in both public and private hospitals across the country.
Out of these, 448 beds are already in use by non Covid-19 patients requiring critical care services, leaving only 70 beds to spare.
Delayed equipment
The report indicates that counties are yet to receive ventilators recently purchased by the Ministry of Health (MoH).
“According to submissions received by the committee, the MoH procured an additional 30 ventilators following the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak. However, according to the Council of Governors, none of these additional ventilators have been distributed to counties,” states the report.
The country is also facing a shortage of oxygen and basic oxygen equipment in the counties, which further threatens Kenya’s ability to contain the pandemic.
Consequently, the committee has recommended that a grant from Covid-19 Emergency Fund be provided for every county for expansion of ICU bed capacity as well as buying more ventilators and other basic oxygen equipment.
The committee has also demanded that the Health ministry provides a report on the whereabouts of the 30 ventilators it recently purchased.
The ministry, in its submissions before the committee, said the country could lose more lives to Covid-19 should Kenyans fail to follow laid out health protocols.
The ministry told the Senators that the country was still at the initial stages of the disease and that this could peak with more deaths.
At least 14 people have died so far.
“Whilst consensus on the country’s modelling projections is yet to be conclusively arrived at, according to submissions made by the Ministry of Health, Kenya stands at risk of losing up to 30,000 lives during the peak phase of the outbreak unless strict adherence to the recommended hygiene and containment measures is maintained by the public,” states the report tabled in the Senate yesterday.
According to several health workers groups whose representatives appeared before the committee, most counties still lack adequate supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and have poorly equipped isolation and treatment facilities.
The ministry, however, singled out Mombasa, Makueni, Marsabit, Machakos, Kisumu, Laikipia, Kiambu, Isiolo and Kisii counties as having made “laudable progress” in initiating and implementing various Covid-19 response plans.
The ministry told the committee that a total of 3,682 PPE had been distributed to various health facilities across the country.
However, health workers and the Council of Governors disputed this figure, saying the equipment was yet to be delivered.
“While the ministry maintained that adequate quantities of PPE had been distributed to counties and health facilities, these claims were at variance with the overwhelming majority of stakeholders who appeared before the committee, including the CoG and health worker associations and unions,” states the report.
Expensive quarantine
The committee further termed the cost of accommodation in Covid-19 quarantine facilities as prohibitive and demanded that this be reviewed downwards. According to submissions to the committee, the facilities are charging between Sh2,000 and Sh10,000 per person per day for a minimum period of two weeks.
“Indeed, in its submissions, the Ministry of Health confirmed reports of quarantined persons being unable to pay their bills at the lapse of their quarantine period,” states the report.
The committee further recommended that national and county governments pay for accommodation, meals and transport of front line health workers during the outbreak period.
