This archive report was first published on 7 July 2020.
With the lifting of movement restrictions, Kenya is bracing for a surge in Covid-19 cases, but many counties are woefully unprepared to handle the influx of patients.
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has ruled out coronavirus referrals to Nairobi, citing concerns that hospitals in the city may not cope with the increased demand.
As a result, patients in need of hospitalization are being left to their own devices, with families facing a daunting task in securing a hospital bed.
Public and private hospitals in Nairobi have few beds left, with MP Shah already full, and families of critically ill patients are being urged to try Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital and other facilities.
However, even these hospitals are struggling to cope, with the 24 ICU-bed capacity hospital able to admit only eight patients at a time due to patient-nurse ratio constraints.
For those who cannot afford the high costs of private hospitals, the situation is even more dire, with many being forced to seek treatment in isolation wards and ICU beds that are in short supply.
According to the Ministry of Health, there are only 1,316 isolation beds in the six coastal counties, with Mombasa having the second-highest number of cases in the country at 1,646.
Despite the challenges, health officials in some counties are optimistic that home-based care is helping to reduce the number of patients at isolation stations, giving the devolved government room for more admissions if needed.
However, other counties are struggling to cope, with Embu having only 50 beds in its isolation ward and no testing machines, while Kirinyaga County has only one ICU bed and no high dependency unit.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen whether Kenya's counties will be able to rise to the challenge and provide adequate care for those affected by the pandemic.
