This archive report was first published on 25 May 2020.
May 25, 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to the healthcare sector, forcing providers to rethink their approach to care.
According to Majid Twahir, Associate Dean, Clinical Services and Chief of Staff at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, 'Covid-19 is probably here with us for the next 12 to 18 months. That is, until we get a vaccine.'
Twahir applauds the government's efforts to slow down the curve, but emphasizes that healthcare cannot be restricted to only COVID-19 patients. 'We must create a new normalcy – that of living with Covid-19,' he says.
For those who have postponed treatments, surgeries, procedures, vaccinations, and clinics, it is essential to rethink this decision. 'There is a clinical reason why your physician had made your patient care plan anyway,' Twahir notes.
At the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, measures have been taken to ensure a safe environment for continued care of all patients. 'We are a general hospital that has taken all measures possible to ensure that we attend to all patients in a safe environment while taking care of Covid-19 patients safely,' Twahir explains.
The hospital has implemented a range of safety protocols, including dedicated housekeeping staff, continuous decontamination and sterilization of hospital areas and equipment, screening of patients, visitors, doctors, and employees, and the use of masks and distancing measures.
Twahir emphasizes that staff safety is the hospital's highest priority, and that Personal Protective Equipment, training, and psychosocial support have been provided to all staff. Free COVID-19 testing for all patients admitted for surgery or other procedures, including maternity, has also been introduced.
As the world deals with the pandemic, pregnant women still require their ante-natal care, children need to be on schedule for their vaccinations, emergencies need to be attended to, and people living with chronic illnesses still require access to physicians for continuity of care.
Twahir concludes, 'We therefore must learn the new normal and provide care safely. If we fail to do so, we risk an even bigger healthcare crisis in the near future.'
