Mental health patients in Mombasa receive first Covid-19 jab

Some 65 patients battling mental illness have received their first Covid-19 jab at a facility in Changamwe, Mombasa, as they pleaded for the community to embrace them and end stigma against them.

The Mombasa Women Empowerment Mental and Rehabilitation Centre network lauded the county government for including the group in its vaccination efforts.

But the chairperson of the network, Amina Abdalla, decried stigma against mental illness, urging society to embrace those battling mental health disorders.

The network supports the mentally ill by offering them shelter, food, clothing and free rehabilitation.

“I pick them up from the streets and bring them to the centre, where they are treated and well taken care of before they are reunited with their families. But, sadly, they are left on the streets. Mental illness is a disease,” she said during the vaccination drive in Changamwe.

She said the mentally ill roaming in the streets are exposed to several diseases, including the coronavirus.

“That is why I decided to rescue them together with the elderly who might not survive if they contract the deadly coronavirus. This jab is crucial,” she said, challenging the government and other stakeholders to help those battling the disease.

She said many of the patients lack identification documents.

“We first counsel them before administering the first dose. Sadly, they do not have their national identification card so we cannot key in their details to show they have taken the dose,” she said.

“Among the 65 patients, I only have the names of 14 of them. I urge the government to help me trace their relatives.”

Statistics for Mombasa County show that as of August 12, some 36,372 people had been vaccinated.

This even comes as the Ministry of Health published a list of Covid-19 vaccination sites across the country.

The jab being administered at the sites is the two-dose Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

See the comprehensive list of centres here: vaccination sites