May 2021 bring better tidings for our tattered health sector
A Catholic faithful in deep prayer during a service to usher in the New Year 2021 held at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County on December 31, 2020.
What you need to know:
- There was travel restrictions, bans on large gatherings, loss of jobs, and the curfew.
- Also, there was also need for regular washing of hands and the wearing of face masks.
It has been a bad year for Kenya’s struggling health sector. It all started on March 12 when the country reported its first case of Covid-19, dealing a heavy blow to the health sector, one that made us all victims of the scourge.
From just one case, the numbers surged from the beginning of the year to the end. Unfortunately, CS Mutahi Kagwe had just taken his oath of office on the February 28 right before the pandemic struck. It must have been quite hard for him to deal with. Money had to be used in diagnosis, prevention and treatment. Contact tracing was no mean fête.
There was also quarantine, a process that took at least 14 days. Things started changing as the numbers increased. There was travel restrictions, bans on large gatherings, loss of jobs, and the curfew. Also, there was also need for regular washing of hands and the wearing of face masks.
Then came the mismanagement of donations and medical aid. The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) lost approximately Sh2 billion due to irregular award of tenders. The money lost could have proved essential in fighting the pandemic.
The misuse of Covid-19 funds and the distribution of face masks saw CS Mutahi Kagwe summoned by parliament. I found it ironical that, during a pandemic where we ought to unite together in the fight against it, people were stealing money.
Recently, doctors, clinical officers and nurses went on strike. This was also not so good to the health sector and the most affected were the “Wanjiku” who could not afford private hospitals.
Among the medics’ list of grievances were that they lacked enough PPEs, they wanted to be paid their allowances, and that doctors were dying of Covid-19 yet there was no compensation paid to their families.
They demanded better working conditions, better pay and medical insurance. The impasse eventually led to the doctor’s strike being called off yet that of nurses still going on.
As we enter 2021 eyeing a vaccine, we all hope for the best in the health sector in the future. But the future is yet to come; it’s the brand new mystery.
Phidel Wafula, 18, is a first year student of Journalism and Media Studies at the University of Nairobi
