While we fight coronavirus, other areas of health require attention

The fight against Covid-19 has taken focus away from other aspects of health. The Council of Governors, for instance, has said that plans to scale up Universal Healthcare Coverage have been hit after large sums of money were diverted to fight the pandemic.

In Mombasa recently, some leaders protested the transfer of medical staff to centres set up to fight coronavirus. That decision, though noble under the prevailing circumstances, led to the closure of a number of health centres.

When coronavirus became a real concern, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya gave an order for closure of mortuaries in his county to ensure bodies were buried within 48 hours in accordance with directives from the Ministry of Health, but that had its own downsides.

Protests by medics in many public hospitals over lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) have negatively impacted service delivery. But worse, the stigma associated with coronavirus, arising from the way it was handled from the outset, has made many patients to fear seeking medical attention in public hospitals.

Those who can, would rather visit private hospitals despite the prohibitive cost. The fear of hospitals is so widespread that Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has noted many people would rather not visit public hospitals whenever they fall sick. Indeed, many have failed to seek treatment, which defeats the purpose of a healthcare system in the first place.

Malaria, flu and Covid-19 exhibit almost similar symptoms, but because those who have visited public hospitals and registered high temperatures have become forced candidates for quarantine facilities at their own cost, many would rather self-medicate, which is more dangerous.

Given that fear, it is possible some children are not getting regular vaccinations which could lead to complications later. In some areas, pregnant women would rather get attention from traditional midwives than go to hospital for fear of being quarantined for one reason or another.

That should not be the case. The public should have faith in the healthcare system which, on its part, must operate optimally. It is discouraging for patients to spend long hours queueing in hospitals only to be told there are no medicines and be referred to private pharmacies.

Not even contributors to the National Health Insurance Fund have been spared. Rather than be the reason for the failure of our healthcare system, Covid-19 should be the perfect dose for upgrading the system to deal with all forms of emergencies.