This archive report was first published on 11 July 2020.
'I'm about to be intubated,' Dr Adisa's last words before she succumbed to Covid-19 ¶
On July 11, 2020, Dr Adisa Lugaliki, a 39-year-old medical doctor, passed away within 48 hours of being admitted to the Aga Khan hospital in Kenya, becoming the first medical doctor to succumb to Covid-19.
Dr Adisa had notified her friends through a WhatsApp group that she had tested positive for Covid-19 and was about to be intubated. Intubation is a medical procedure where a tube is inserted through the mouth and into the airway to assist with breathing during anesthesia, sedation, or severe illness.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe eulogized the late medic, saying, 'We have today for the first time lost a medical doctor to the coronavirus disease. I'm deeply saddened by this because she contracted the virus while working to save the lives of others who had contracted the virus.'
MP Davido Ole Sankok praised Dr Adisa for being brave, saying, 'RIP Colleague – Dr. Doreen Adisa Lugaliki, On behalf of my family, my self and on behalf of 6.5 million Kenyans with disabilities I represent in parliament, let me register my deepest condolences to Doreen's family, her friends and to the Kenya medical practitioners pharmacists and dentists board.'
Dr Adisa's death has sparked tributes from Kenyans, including Edwin Esilaba, who said, 'Adisa Lugaliki My Lovely Sister. Dance with the Angels. This One has Hit Hard.'
Dr Mercy Korir, Dr Patrick Amoth, and Dr Ouma Oluga also paid their respects to the late doctor, highlighting the risks and sacrifices made by frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic.
