Busia county is staring at a Covid-19 crisis as the only isolation and treatment centre at Alupe is full and can no longer admit patients.
The county on Thursday recorded 26 new Covid-19 cases as reported by the Health Ministry.
When the ministry announced the new virus cases, there were 12 truck drivers stranded at a building at the Malaba Customs Yard waiting to be admitted to hospital. They tested positive while in Uganda.
The Thursday new cases brought to 38 the number of patients who are yet to be put on treatment in the border county.
The Alupe Treatment and Isolation centre has 71 beds.
Malaba Port Health manager Evelyn Walela told the Star her department is still looking for a solution to the emergency.
“Right now we have nowhere to take them to,” Walela said.
“They [truck driver who tested positive] were 17 but we only managed to take five for treatment. We still have 12 waiting.”
David Mukabi, the county’s coordinator of Universal Health Coverage, said the fight against the coronavirus requires all stakeholders in the health sector as well as the national government to work together.
“This crisis requires collective responsibility. Our treatment centre is full but we have managed to secure 20 more beds for Alupe Treatment and Isolation centre,” he said on the phone.
He, however, did not disclose when the beds will be procured.
Mukabi said controlling movement of truck drivers would be one primary option of reducing the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the county since all the cases reported in Busia are those from truck drivers.
On Tuesday, Governor Sospeter Ojaamong expressed fears of the county failing to provide medical care for people testing positive for the coronavirus.
“Covid-19 positive cases at Alupe are increasing at an alarming rate with 72 positive cases, all truck drivers, at the facility with a bed capacity of 71,” the county chief said.
He spoke as he announced that truckers who fail to provide Covid-19-free certificates will not be allowed access to Busia.
“The treatment facility is overstretched and staff overwhelmed with no equipment to match the rising number of cases which we didn't anticipate,” Ojaamong said.
“With such alarming number of cases returned to Kenya from Uganda, my government may be forced to convert other hospitals into treatment centres to the detriment of the local communities where the hospitals are located. This will need funding to equip such hospitals.”
He said there were plans to convert Malaba Dispensary into a Covid-19 treatment centre.
All truckers currently held in Malaba tested positive while in Uganda but were returned to Kenya for treatment.
