As the family of the late Dr Stephen Mogusu paid their last respect to him on Monday when he was buried, the government pledged a job offer for his wife who is also a doctor.
Dr Mogusu’s widow, Dr Jackline Wanjiru was offered a job by the Kisii County Government.
County Secretary Patrick Lumumba who spoke at his funeral mass held at Iranda Primary School said that there are job openings at the Department of Health Services which had been advertised.
Lumumba said that the job offer was a gesture of goodwill by Kisii Governor Dr James Ongwae.
“This is an assurance from Governor James Ongwae that the widow will join Kisii County’s work force. We condole with the bereaved family and pray that God intervenes and gives her and the child a better future,” said the Kisii County Secretary as quoted by the Standard.
Dr Mogusu succumbed to COVID-19 in early December. He contracted the virus at his post of duty which was Machakos Level Five Hospital where he had been working for five months.
His death sparked uproar as doctors decried negligence by the government citing that they were provided with sub-standard Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and lacked a comprehensive insurance medical cover.
In addition, Dr Mogusu had not been paid his salary for five months yet he had a new-born baby girl. At the time of his death, the 28-year-old doctor’s baby was four months old.
Dr Mogusu’s father, Naftal Ongweno recounted the painful journey trying to raise funds for his son’s treatement.
He narrated in the last two weeks that when his son’s condition worsened, he requested to be taken to Kenyatta University Referral Hospital from Komarock Hospital where he had been admitted.
However, he was asked to deposit Ksh200,000 for him to get ventilator support at the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital.
With no money, his father said that he moved around in his Iranda village, Kisii County asking for money door to door in order to help his son.
“From the moment he was admitted to hospital after contracting coronavirus while working with infected patients, we had to pay all the bills,” Ongweno told the Standard.
Weeks before his condition deteriorated, his family says Mogusu always called them and would say he will get better.
However, when he developed breathing problems, he asked for a photo of his four-month-old baby.
He died at the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital (KUTRH).
