About a month ago, Kenya officially announced a third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta tightened up the country’s COVID-19 measures. The revised containment measures included a partial lockdown restricting movement in the country to curb the spread of the virus.
The positivity rate is high and hospital beds have become overcrowded. Intensive care units are at full capacity and the rising numbers have not spared health care workers. The health sector has become overwhelmed by the increasing numbers of patients infected by coronavirus.
“PPEs are very important in the times we are living in. There are different variants of coronavirus and some have been reported to be twice as transmissible as earlier strains. This is why we want to ensure that healthcare workers, especially those who provide palliative care are protected so they can continue providing the much-needed services. Quality palliative care must be provided to everybody who needs it.” Dr. Zipporah Ali – Executive Director KEHPCA.
Doctors and caregivers should not get infected as they take care of the patients if it can be prevented by the use of PPEs. KEHPCA with support from The True Colours Trust has distributed PPEs to more than 80 facilities in Kenya to better palliative care service delivery.
“Recently, bitter complaints of a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs) among health personnel in the public health care sector have raised concerns. This is why we are doing our part as Kenya Hospices and Palliative Care Association, (KEHPCA) with the resources we have to scale up service delivery especially in palliative care.” David Musyoki – Ag. Director of Programs.
KEHPCA has distributed PPEs to hospices and Palliative Care Units (PCUs) across Kenya and this is the third round of distribution since the start of the pandemic. We believe we can do more if we have enough resources and also support from stakeholders in different sectors especially the government in integrating palliative care fully in Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
In addition, KEHPCA has a strong, longstanding commitment to advocating for wider access to palliative and end-of-life care across Kenya. Our mission is to promote and support acceptable, accessible and affordable quality palliative care for individuals and families by creating networks of informed and empowered institutions in Kenya.
Here are some testimonials from a few of the facilities that benefited from the distribution of PPEs:
“Thank you KEHPCA for the support. The PPEs have come at a time when we needed them most. God bless you. Iten hospital.”
“Thank you very much KEHPCA for the donation and continued support. ICI sincerely appreciates your support. Please keep up the good job.”
“Kimbilio Hospice says thank you, KEHPCA! You always come through for us when we need you.”
“Kisumu hospice has received the PPEs, we are taking this opportunity to thank KEHPCA for the continued support, and we really appreciate the work you do. May the almighty God add you more.”
“Makueni County Referral Hospital has received PPEs. Thanks a lot, we will put them to good use.”
“Meru Hospice has received the PPEs. Thank you KEHPCA for your continued support. God bless you.”
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