Meru Level 5 Hospital CEO James Kirimi has denied allegations his staffers were forced to improvise polythene bags as PPE to attend to a patient who was suspected to have contracted the coronavirus.
He said there are enough PPEs for health workers in the county.
Kirimi said all health workers who were assigned to transfer the patient from Miathene Subcounty Hospital to Meru Level 5 Hospital were in full PPE gear.
He said the patient later died but tests for the coronavirus turned negative.
“We went to pick the patient in Miathene on Monday last week and brought him to the facility’s Covid-19 unit. We tested him for the coronavirus and the results came out negative. All health officers who were attending to him were well-protected.”
Resident Mugambi Kiroria had claimed that health workers who picked the patient from Miathene Hospital had covered themselves in polythene bags because of lack of PPE.
Health executive Misheck Mutuma termed the allegations "mere propaganda".
"This is propaganda. We have adequate PPE," he said.
Meru county has not recorded any Covid-19 case.
Last week, Deputy Governor Titus Ntuchiu defended the county against the misuse of Sh36 million.
Ntuchiu said the county has spent Sh25.9 million of the Sh36 million in preparedness measures against the coronavirus.
“We purchased 120,000 surgical masks from Kemsa to be used by county nurses and clinical officers for two months. Governor Kiraitu Murungi's administration bought 730 water tanks for washing hands at Sh803,000," he said.
“The Meru government has purchased 80,000 face masks at a cost of Sh2.4 million. The masks are being distributed to boda boda operators and market traders, who are the most vulnerable to the disease.”
Governor Murungi said the county has set up two Covid-19 isolation facilities, created sub-county fumigation teams, and a surveillance team to help in tracing and taking samples from suspected cases.
Edited by A.N
