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MTRH cleaners, cooks trained on coronavirus

Facility has 25 isolation beds; CEO says most patients don't require hospitalisation.

In Summary
  • CEO says all medical and non-medical staff have been trained
  • They have also been given protective gear.
Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital CEO Wilson Aruasa speaks to journalists.
PREPARED: Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital CEO Wilson Aruasa speaks to journalists.
Image: MATHEWS NDANYI

Cleaners, cooks and security guards are among Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital workers trained on coronavirus. 

Others include engineers and office workers. 

CEO Wilson Aruasa said on Friday all corporate staff had been trained and provided with protective gear. 

 

"We have trained all those on the front line and those not on the front line," he said.

Dr Aruasa said all medical staff—nurses, clinical officers, laboratory workers and doctors—have already undergone training. 

"We have also given them personal protective equipment so they can deal with any suspected cases," he said.  

"We have put health workers at the centre of healthcare delivery." 

The Eldoret-based hospital is Kenya's second biggest in terms of patient capacity.

It has 10 beds in its isolation unit, but recently built a new wing with 15 beds using funds from the Ministry of Health and World Bank.

"If need be, we also have Rafiki Centre of Excellence within MTRH with 20 more beds, but that will be a level 3," Aruasa said. 

 
 

Speaking to reporters after visiting Mbagathi Hospital last week, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya country was prepared to combat coronavirus.

“We have trained over 1,100 health workers [nationally]. We have deployed them in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and other areas. We are also sensitising and cascading this training all the way to the community levels. We have procured sufficient personal protective equipment,” he said.

The virus likely originated at a wet market in the city of Wuhan, China, and has spread to around 133 countries. 

Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya

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