An article published in The Star claiming that 600 COVID-19 patients have been released from hospital and will take part in a home-based care programme being piloted by the Ministry of Health is TRUE
Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced that the ministry had developed guidelines and protocols for the implementation of a home and community-based isolation and treatment programme, which would allow asymptomatic COVID-19 patients to leave hospital.
The guidelines, released on June 21, advise that patients should not share space with others, and should be in an environment where access to food is guaranteed, personal protective equipment is available. The guidelines also advise that patients be released only when there are no household members who may be at increased risk of complications from COVID-19 infections.
Mr Kagwe said the 600 patients — 338 from Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital and 212 from Coast General Hospital — would be the first cases released to this programme. The programme is scheduled to be extended to patients from medical facilities across the country, the CS said.
The adoption of home-based care is aimed at relieving pressure on the country’s medical system as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise exponentially.
Additionally, Kenya is adopting a community-based approach as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19. This involves collaborating with non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders to achieve behaviour change and reduce the number of infected people needing health care at any given time.
PesaCheck has looked into an article claiming that the Ministry of Health has released 600 COVID-19 patients to pilot the home-based care programme, and finds it is TRUE.
This post is part of an ongoing series of PesaCheck fact-checks examining content marked as potential misinformation on Facebook and other social media platforms.
