This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
Published on July 8, 2020, a story about a COVID-19 patient turned away from several hospitals in Nairobi has highlighted the challenges facing the city's healthcare system.
A patient with symptoms of COVID-19, including blood in his sputum, was denied admission at Aga Khan hospital due to a lack of available beds. The patient was also turned away at MP Shah hospital for the same reason.
According to reports, Kenyatta National Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospitals are also fully booked, leaving patients with limited options for treatment.
Efforts to find a bed in Kitengela were unsuccessful, and it took the patient over 12 hours to secure a bed at a private hospital in Nairobi on Monday morning.
Since then, the government has confirmed over 300 new cases, bringing the total number of reported cases to 9,000. With more than 100 cases reported daily, all hospitals in Nairobi are facing a severe shortage of space.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe has assured that no patients will be transferred to Nairobi from other counties, citing the city's limited capacity. However, President Uhuru Kenyatta's decision to lift the cessation of movement order in Nairobi and Mombasa Counties may lead to a surge in cases, as Kenyans travel to these areas.
Only 23 counties have met the 300-bed capacity threshold, while at least 10 counties lack a single ICU bed, raising concerns about the country's preparedness to tackle the virus.
