KMPDU Sounds Alarm After Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case
The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) is sounding the alarm for urgent action to tackle Ebola after Kenya confirmed its very first case of the disease.
KMPDU is urging the government to get a grip on the situation by making sure frontline healthcare workers are protected, that contact tracing is done openly and honestly and that our hospitals are properly equipped to deal with potential Ebola cases.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has confirmed that Kenya has indeed recorded its first Ebola case. This involved a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for seven years, but had since returned to Kenya.
Sadly the patient had received supportive treatment but unfortunately died on Monday.
KMPDU Calls for Protection of Ebola-Exposed Health Workers
In a statement put out by KMPDU Secretary-General Dr Divji Atellah the union said that healthcare workers who had come into contact with the deceased patient should get immediate medical monitoring. This includes the people who worked at Nairobi Hospital and any other care locations where the patient may have received treatment.
The workers are also going to need some serious psychological support and follow-up care to make sure they are okay.
‘The safety of healthcare workers has got to be treated as a national priority’ says Atellah.
KMPDU is speaking out now because there is a lot of concern about the possibility of further cases following the first confirmed case of Ebola in Kenya.
KMPDU Raises Medical Cover Concerns
KMPDU is also getting anxious about whether or not frontline workers have got the medical insurance they need.
The union is calling on counties that don’t already provide medical cover to get their act together and sort it out.
They are also putting pressure on the Social Health Authority (SHA) to make sure that healthcare workers don’t get locked out of medical services because of delayed payments by their employers.
‘Also we are demanding that all the counties which don’t have a medical cover sort one out for their healthcare workers & SHA stop locking out healthcare workers – delayed remittance from the employers should never stop them getting services’ says the union.
KMPDU is saying that healthcare workers who are responding to an infectious disease threat should have reliable access to medical services and should have some decent protection in place.
Union Demands Transparency in Ebola Contact Tracing
The doctors’ union is also calling for some serious straight-shooting on the Ebola contact-tracing operation in Kenya. Theyre demanding the public gets reliable and timely information on how the government is handling this whole thing.
In a stern warning to the Ministry of Health, Atellah cautioned that if they dont get their communication act together they risk spreading a whole load of misinformation while trying to contain the virus.
The union is also demanding solid proof that regional referral centres have got the isolation units, treatment facilities and the right staffing – people who actually know what theyre doing.
Theyre saying transparency in communication should be at the heart of Kenyas Ebola response – and pretty much put the onus on authorities to get people who mightve come into contact with the deceased patient under close surveillance while they monitor the situation.
KMPDU Wants Health Workers Included in Emergency Response
It seems KMPDU are also saying that health workers and their unions need to have a real say in what goes on in the national and county level emergency response plans.
According to the union, frontline workers are in the best position to spot any weaknesses in the system because theyre the ones dealing with patients on a daily basis and trying to manage tricky cases.
Getting healthcare workers on board, says KMPDU, will not only ensure that authorities get a real grip on the situation but also make sure the country is better equipped to deal with the Ebola threat.
KMPDU went on to say they are very much on high alert and will be keeping a close eye on the situation and making sure the right checks and balances are in place.
55 People Identified for Ebola Contact Tracing
The Ministry of Health says their contact tracing operation has now identified 28 people who had dealings with the deceased patient.
And then there are the 23 passengers and four crew members who were on the flight used by that patient.
That brings the total to 55 people who need to be tracked by health authorities as they try to keep an eye out for any potential cases and stop the virus from spreading.
It all adds up to more pressure on the government to keep the public informed and make sure frontline healthcare workers are properly equipped to deal with this crisis safely.
KMPDU Sounds Alarm After Kenya Confirms First Ebola Case
