This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
On Sunday, the Kenyan government released guidelines for Covid-19 patients to be discharged from hospitals and cared for at home, in a bid to decongest hospitals and prevent them from being overwhelmed.
The move follows the government's decision to respond to an already overstretched healthcare system, with Ministry of Health acting Director-General Patrick Amoth announcing that hospitals will be discharging asymptomatic Covid-19 patients to recuperate at home.
According to the guidelines, patients must meet several conditions before being discharged, including having a Covid-19 report from the laboratory, being asymptomatic or having a very mild form of the disease, and having no existing comorbidities such as High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, or chronic chest problems.
Patients must also have adequate space, preferably a separate space from the rest of the household members, where they can stay during isolation, and the isolation room must be well ventilated to reduce the risk of spread of the highly infectious disease.
Other guidelines include strict adherence to infection control prevention guidelines, such as washing hands, using sanitisers, and having a mask for the patient together with the caregiver. No visitors will be allowed to the particular room except the caregiver, and the patient must have access to PPEs and a thermometer to check their temperature.
The home-based care program has been advocated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to ease health systems, and according to new WHO protocols, patients who are still positive but have been in quarantine for 14 days can still be released from treatment centers because they are not contagious.
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe is set to launch the home-based care program, which aims to provide a safe and effective way for Covid-19 patients to recover at home.
