This archive report was first published on 7 August 2020.
Kenya's healthcare system is facing a crisis as delayed Covid-19 test results threaten to undermine the country's 'test, trace, and isolate' strategy.
According to doctors, the Ministry of Health's daily figures may not accurately reflect the actual number of infections due to a backlog in sample testing.
With only 335,000 samples tested so far, Kenya has a long way to go to meet its target of testing one million people.
As of yesterday, the country had recorded 24,411 confirmed cases of Covid-19.
Concerns Over Delayed Results ¶
Health Chief Administrative Secretary Rashid Aman reported 538 new Covid-19 cases from tests carried out in the past 24 hours, but medics say this number may not be representative of the actual daily rate of community infections.
Dr Elizabeth Gitau, CEO of the Kenya Medical Association, warned that the current turnaround time of 5-10 days for test results is unacceptable and urged the Ministry of Health to review its practices.
"We recommend rapid review of results where best practice is 24–48 hours as opposed to now where it is 5 to 10 days," Dr Gitau said.
Impact on Patients and Families ¶
The delay in test results is causing conflict between medics and patients' families, particularly in cases where patients have passed away while waiting for their results.
"I am in Kiambu. We take our samples to Kemri and the turnaround time is usually one to two weeks," said a doctor who requested anonymity during a virtual webinar hosted by the KMA.
The delay is also contributing to the spread of the virus as people who are infected are not being isolated in a timely manner.
Government Plans to Address the Issue ¶
The Ministry of Health has acknowledged the long turnaround time for test results as a key challenge that delays public health action.
MoH says it plans to "strengthen Covid-19 diagnostic quality assurance" and streamline testing by drawing up a sampling schedule that allows collection of samples to be spread over a number of days.
