Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Ouma Oluga has urged the government to employ more doctors in order to enhance the readiness and capacity to tackle the Coronavirus in Kenya. Speaking moments after the government confirmed the first Coronavirus case in Kenya, Oluga said there are 3,000 who are willing and ready to be employed, and they should be employed to ease the work load, “We have 3,000 doctors who are willing and ready to be employed. The government can make a quick decision to employ all of them right now so that they can be the ones training people in public places, they can be the ones taking care of the sick in the places of isolation.”
He said the Coronavirus cases in some countries like Iran and Italy show that patients need ICU services and care and that the move should come as part of the preparedness to prevent the Coronavirus from spreading. Moreover, he said more medical personnel should be availed and trained, so far 1,200 have ben trained, and that protective gear should also be increased, since only 5,000 have been made available yet the health workers are around 67,000.
He urged Kenyans to follow the basic guidelines laid out including washing of hands, maintaining cough and sneeze hygiene, avoiding public gatherings, and handshakes among others, adding that no one should panic, “The public should not panic, health workers should not panic, they need to be prepared.”
