Medics at Sultan Hamud Subcounty Hospital in Makueni are in a state of panic after a sick colleague who visited the facility tested positive for coronavirus.
They have accused the Health department of refusing to have them tested.
"We believe that they want to protect the image of the institution and their incompetence because when we request for tests, we are either threatened or told there are insufficient testing kits," said a staffer.
Health executive Andrew Mulwa said, however, those who interacted with the nurse will be tested from Tuesday.
The female nurse works at a dispensary in Mukaa subcounty.
"She was coughing when she started visiting our facility for treatment. Later the problem worsened and she started vomiting," a medic told the Star on Sunday.
Her samples were taken to the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi and tested positive.
The nurse was among the cases announced by the Ministry of Health on Thursday. She was taken to Makindu quarantine centre.
Medics at the hospital warned that a larger number of residents could be infected if the Health department drags its feet.
They said it is not known how many people the nurse interacted with at work before she fell sick. Her colleagues visited her at home.
But Mulwa said her contacts have been traced and isolated at home.
“There is no gap because the nurse tested positive on Thursday and the maturity of her contacts is four to five days which is on Tuesday. It is when we expect the samples to give accurate [results],” he told the Star on Monday.
However, some of the medics who spoke to the Star said they were still on duty.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
