This archive report was first published on 4 August 2020.
Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, is on the brink of disaster as Covid-19 infections spread rapidly among health workers. The alarming situation has left the public worried about accessing healthcare services.
According to the National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) and the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), the situation is dire, with more medics contracting the virus every day. The unions have warned that it will soon be hard for the public to get health services as more medics are forced to isolate or quarantine.
Already, eight healthcare professionals have died while more than 600 are sick with the virus. The situation has been exacerbated by the inadequate preparedness of counties to handle the pandemic.
During a press conference on Monday, Nairobi's KNUN chair Boaz Onchari revealed that five health facilities in Nairobi have either been closed or are about to be closed due to increasing Covid-19 infections among health workers.
"In Nairobi, more than five facilities have been closed because the staff are either in isolation or in quarantine. Pumwani is on its knees because 64 staff have tested positive for Covid-19," Mr Onchari said.
He added, "In the coming weeks, you will go to the hospital to seek services but you will get none, not because medics are on strike but because they will be in isolation or in quarantine."
The Ministry of Health (MOH) could not confirm the allegations while the Nairobi Metropolitan Health Department did not respond to queries.
The nursing fraternity is mourning the death of 32-year-old Marian Awuor Adumbo, who died on Sunday from Covid-19 complications, leaving behind a newborn baby boy. She was the third nurse to die in five months due to the virus.
The unions have demanded action from the county and national governments to ensure health workers are adequately equipped for their work. They want enough personal protective equipment (PPEs), training on management of Covid-19, adequate psychological support, a bigger workforce, timely payment of allowances, special insurance support, and a special risk allowance.
