Red Cross and Mastercard Foundation have joined forces to train 2,585 healthcare workers across 14 counties to fight Covid-19.
The targeted counties are Nairobi, Kiambu, Kajiado, Mombasa, Kilifi, Nakuru, Kitui, Kakamega, Uasin Gishu, Busia, Homa Bay, Siaya, Mandera and Kwale.
“The training will focus on infection, prevention and control (IPC) of Covid-19, surveillance, contact tracing and patient management,” Kenya Red Cross Secretary General Asha Mohamed said in a statement.
An additional 2,100 community health volunteers will be empowered to support contact tracing, surveillance and home-based care at the grassroots level.
Acknowledging the timing of the initiative, Mohammed noted that community health facilities and workers can help ease the pressure on the major healthcare facilities.
“We are at a critical stage in our response to the Covid-19 pandemic with the number of infections increasing every day. We must strengthen our community level prevention to avoid overwhelming our healthcare facilities,” she said.
The initiative will also upgrade Kenya Red Cross's tele-counselling services to assist young people struggling with mental health issues to access guidance and counselling services.
"This programme will not only build Kenya's capacity to test, trace and treat, but it will also address some of the attendant issues being caused by this crisis, including the alarming rise in gender-based violence," Mastercard Foundation's Eastern and Southern Africa regional head Daniel Hailu said.
Drones will be utilised for community sensitisation and to map out virus hotspots, which will be the basis for control measures, such as surveillance, testing and fumigation of infected areas.
The initiative comes at a time when the number of daily infections are expected to peak in September.
The country is also grappling with the possibility of overwhelmed facilities and how to execute home-based care.
Edited by R.Wamochie
