The government has disputed claims that it did not give adequate training on handling coronavirus emergencies to health officials at Mbagathi Hospital’s Infectious Disease Unit.
Social media was awash with reports on Sunday that nurses at this facility tasked with offering their services to 22 individuals quarantined over coronavirus (COVID-19) lamented lack of enough training and provision of adequate support in their line of work.
The claims further indicated that the facility where the first case of coronavirus in Kenya was established is in a sad state with, allegedly, no running water and tests taking more than 3 days.
However, Government Spokesman Col (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna on Monday while speaking to a local daily rubbished the claims.
Oguna maintained that the government operations at the hospital are running normally and that nurses were on no go-slow as has rumour has it on social media.
“Even the Head of State said it yesterday. The government is providing training and adequate support for caregivers who are at the front-line of this fight across the country,” he stated adding “you cannot just go with everything you see on social media. If the nurses had downed their tools you would know about it already.”
The reports come after Kenyan confirmed three cases of coronavirus in Kenya. The first case was reported last week on Friday while the other two patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were those who established contact with the first patient during a flight from the U.S to Kenya Via London on March 5.
The two patients have been moved to isolation at Kenyatta National Hospital according to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We did state that we traced 27 persons who came into contact with the first patient. We have since tested all 27 people at our National Influenza Centre and today we have received confirmation of two more cases of the Coronavirus.”
“The two have tested positive as a result of coming into contact with the first patient. Our health officials have already moved them into Kenyatta National Hospital’s isolation facility,” he stated on Sunday while reiterating government’s commitment towards containing COVID-19.
