This archive report was first published on 19 June 2020.
On June 19, 2020, Nairobi Women’s Hospital marked a significant milestone in the fight against Covid-19 by opening a 34-bed isolation and treatment centre in Ongata Rongai, Kajiado County.
The new facility, which offers self-quarantine, isolation, and healthcare services, aims to supplement the county’s efforts in managing the pandemic.
According to Eddah Wakapa, the County Health and Sanitation Chief Officer, the centre provides additional bed space for the county, which is crucial at a time when hospital bed spaces are running out due to an increase in Covid-19 hospitalisations.
‘This facility will go a long way in supplementing our efforts towards managing the Covid-19 pandemic,’ said Chief Officer Wakapa.
The centre is equipped with qualified and trained medical personnel to handle Covid-19 cases and has put all preventive measures in place to ensure staff safety, as stated by Michael Walli, the hospital director.
The facility also offers online medical services through a virtual platform to minimize human-to-human contact.
As the country grapples with the rising cases of infections, the national and county governments have set a target of 300 isolation beds for each county to deal with the pandemic.
However, only five counties have met the isolation bed capacity requirement, highlighting the need for increased preparedness.
A recent study by the Kenya Medical Research Institute team shows that the country urgently needs an additional 1,511 intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 1,609 ventilators to cater for a possible one million Covid-19 cases.
