This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
On July 13, 2020, the Kenyan Health ministry announced a shift in its testing strategy for Covid-19, aiming to combat corruption in the process.
According to The Nation, State testing centers such as the National Public Health Laboratory Services, Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) have ceased testing the public, affecting those who rely on free screening.
KNH's senior director of clinical services, Dr. Irene Inwani, issued a memo directing the head of the Respiratory Infectious Diseases unit to halt all screening activities and public testing at the KNH Mbagathi Isolation Unit.
Dr. Inwani stated, 'The head of Unit Respiratory Infectious Diseases is directed to stop all the screening activities and public testing at the KNH Mbagathi IDU.'
KNH's decision comes after a nurse was charged alongside a recipient of a coronavirus-free certificate at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi.
Kemri, on the other hand, announced it would no longer collect Covid-19 samples for testing, opting instead to test samples from designated testing centers following claims of private facilities charging for tests conducted using donated kits.
Government officials have downplayed the effectiveness of widespread testing, while critics accuse them of hiding a shortage of test kits.
Mr. Peterson Wachira, chairman of the clinical officers union, expressed concern over the decision not to test widely, citing the benefits of such a strategy seen in countries like South Korea.
Mr. Wachira stated, 'The commitment by the government to move from targeted testing to mass testing was great. However, now with this backtracking of State institutions like KNH, which says it will not test suspected cases, we’re in trouble because a majority of cases are asymptomatic and lack of screening and testing sites, especially in public facilities, could be detrimental to the fight against Covid-19.'
