This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
On Sunday, July 5, 2020, the Ministry of Health sought to allay fears that Covid-19 patients were being turned away from hospitals due to claims of overcrowding.
Acting Director of Public Health, Francis Kuria, denied knowledge of patients being turned away, stating that positive Covid-19 patients are being enrolled in the home-based care program.
"On the issue of patients being turned away, we are not aware of patients being turned away but most of these cases have been managed under home-based care protocols," Kuria said.
However, concerns had been raised on social media about the difficulties in getting hospital admissions for Covid-19 patients, with claims that Intensive Care Units (ICU) facilities were fully booked, leaving patients in need of critical care with limited options.
Gatundu South Member of Parliament, Moses Kuria, had also taken to Facebook to caution Kenyans about the healthcare system being overwhelmed, stating that it was a matter of days before doctors would have to choose whom to assist and whom to let go.
Despite these concerns, Kuria advised that any case of a patient being turned away needed to be reported, clarifying that beds were still available in most counties, including Nairobi.
It is worth noting that all counties are required to attain a minimum of 300 isolation beds as part of the country's preparedness to combat Covid-19.
