This archive report was first published on 17 May 2020.
On May 17, 2020, the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) made a heartfelt appeal to the government to provide support to faith-based hospitals in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
ACK Archbishop Most Reverend Jackson Ole Sapit emphasized the need for the government to supply faith-based facilities with Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to safeguard the health and well-being of healthcare workers.
“The funds raised, the donations in kind, and Personal Protective equipment kits procured should be distributed throughout the country to both public and faith-based facilities to enhance protection of health workers while treating the sick,” Archbishop Sapit said.
He also urged the government to allocate some of the donated funds to supplement the budget shortfalls faced by faith-based hospitals due to reduced hospital visits.
“Decrease in utilization of health services at faith-based facilities is threatening their sustainability. They will not be able to raise enough income to pay the health workers,” Archbishop Sapit added.
Furthermore, Archbishop Sapit called on the government to waive all taxes on PPEs to make them more accessible at a time when the demand continues to rise.
His recommendations come at a time when health workers have threatened to down their tools over concerns about their safety in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Kenya Health Workers Union Society and Kenya National Clinical Union officials had vowed to commence an industrial action on May 18, 2020, unless their grievances were addressed.
Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi stated that the health ministry was in talks with union officials to address the worker’s concerns.
“Let me reiterate by saying and we have said it again that healthcare workers are basically the heartbeat of this response and so we are in discussions and negotiations with them to evaluate their concerns and to be able to come to a middle ground where we can actually move forward with this,” Mwangangi said.
