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Image posted, KMPDU
Daknor Amara, born in Egypt, has worked in Kenya for decades
The death of Egyptian doctor Ashraf Amara as a result of his Covid-19 infection has highlighted the difficulties of medical personnel in Kenya, as the authorities there have demanded more protection measures for those on the front lines in the battle against it. outbreak of the epidemic, as Basilioh Mutahi points out in this report. .
When surgeon Amara, one of western Kenya’s leading plastic and reconstructive surgery specialists, contracted the virus, his health began to deteriorate and there were no beds available in the intensive care unit at Moi Teaching Hospital (MTRA) in Eldoret .
Dr. Emara has been teaching medical students for decades at this hospital, which is the second largest teaching hospital in the country.
The doctor’s family and colleagues tried to transport him to the Kenyan capital Nairobi, hundreds of kilometers from their city, but the cost of getting an ambulance to transport him was “very expensive,” according to an official with the Kenya Medical Association.
So was the provision of the necessary medication to help stop its worsening, which has become very difficult to obtain.
Image posted, Smile Train Africa
Dr. Emara was known for treating children who suffered from cleft lip (cleft lip and upper jaw)
“His fellow doctors have made donations to buy the medicines needed to help stabilize his health,” Dr. Chipanzi Mwatchunda, who serves as General Secretary of the Federation of Medical, Pharmacist and Dental Trade Unions, told a parliamentary committee.
“It was a very sad case,” he added, noting that doctors do not have comprehensive medical insurance from the National Insurance Company.
Dr. Emara was transferred to a private hospital in Nakuru, a city halfway between Eldoret and Nairobi, waiting for him to have a bed available in the intensive care unit of the capital’s hospitals.
However, he passed away a day later, on November 13.
Physician shortage
Dr. Omara became the fourth medical specialist to die this week, and this is sad news in a country where there are only about 7,000 doctors for every 48 million people.
His friend, Dr. Anthony Akuto, said that a week before his death, he was supervising a surgery and directing medical students through it, and then showed symptoms of the disease days later.
Dr. added. Akuto, who is also an official of the Doctors’ Union: “He died while doing his duty in the front line of facing the disease,” and pointed out that this death kidnapped the only plastic surgeon, who has a high experience like him, in the west from Kenya.
He continued: “There are few plastic surgeons in the country, and we do not have another person of their level, although there will be some who will come, but we will continue to suffer gaps in that regard.”
The CPP list includes just four plastic and reconstructive surgery specialists nationwide in 2018.
Colleagues of Dr. Emara, who was born in Egypt and came to Kenya 30 years ago, say he is a brilliant teacher, supervisor and surgeon who will be greatly missed.
“Sower of smiles”
Dr. Emara was famous for the restoration and cosmetic operations of thousands of children who were born with a cleft lip (cleft lip), planting a smile back on their lips, and was also known for transferring his experiences to surgeons in neighboring countries. such as Somalia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We are very saddened by the departure of our friend and partner,” the charity “Smile Train Africa” said in a tweet it posted on Twitter with a photo of him accompanied by some of the children who were operated on.
She added: Our deepest condolences to his wife, children, friends and colleagues, to the cleft lip patients who put a smile on their lips during the ride of a lifetime, and to the cyclists who trained and carry his legacy.
Image posted, fake images
The rate of daily coronavirus infections in Kenya has increased in recent weeks
At least 14 doctors have died since the coronavirus outbreak began in the country last March.
On Monday, the Federation of Physicians, Pharmacists and Dentists Unions announced the death of Dr. Stephen Moguso as a result of the contraction of COVID-19.
Additionally, about 20 nurses and 10 healthcare workers died as a result of their infection with the virus.
At least 2,000 health workers have been injured, among them Dr. Mwatchunda, the highest official of the Medical College, who recently spoke of the great weight that this experience has left on his psychological condition and mental health.
He told local television NTV: “It’s the hardest time I’ve had this year … At some point I felt like I gave up, or almost gave up, and I said to myself, ‘I don’t think I will’ and survive. ”
The number of HIV infections in Kenya has risen again in recent weeks, with the highest number of daily infections and also deaths in November since the start of the epidemic in the country.
The total number of injuries so far has reached more than 88,000 cases, including 1,500 deaths.
“We need to be protected”
Dr. Doreen Logaliki, an obstetrician and gynecologist, was the first Kenyan doctor to die of a Coronavirus infection, and she died on July 10 at the age of 39.
Image posted, fake images
The mother of the first Kenyan doctor who died of infection with the Coronavirus, wears her photo
Dr. Vladimir Shukin, a surgeon in obesity diseases, Dr. Hudson Iniyangala, a public health specialist, and Dr. Robert Ayesi, a pediatric specialist, passed away in the same week with Dr. Emara.
The union urged doctors not to go to workplaces “where the environment is not safe.”
Faced with the death of more medical specialists and the fact that the government apparently cannot address the situation; The doctors called a strike for the 7th of this month, but decided to postpone it for a week to allow more negotiations.
“How do we fight in a war when our soldiers are falling and their numbers are decreasing? We need protection,” Dr Mwatchunda told a parliamentary committee.
Two representatives from the nurses and health workers unions, who went on strike, protested against unsafe working conditions and what they described as poor government performance in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.
Unions pointed to a number of shortcomings in public hospitals, including: poor facilities, understaffed, lack of adequate protective equipment, and lack of comprehensive health insurance services, all of which contribute to creating an “extremely difficult working environment. , dangerous and harmful. ”
“We believe that the government has abandoned health care workers, who almost work alone. We do not have the proper protective equipment. Doctors pay for Medicare lists out of their own pockets when one of them becomes ill while on duty,” Dr Akuto told the BBC.
He added: “We believe that the government is not taking this issue seriously.”
Face the enemy without defenses
The Health Ministry acknowledged some of these issues raised by the unions, but denied that they had abandoned the workers. He said that their demands would be met and indicated that consultations with them would continue.
“Abandoning our soldiers would be tantamount to facing an enemy without defenses,” said Mercy Mwangangi, an official with the Ministry of Health.
Image posted, Reuters
Some attribute the problems of health services to widespread corruption
Some of the problems with health facilities in Kenya are attributed to corruption, as there are reports that some of the funds allocated to combat the Coronavirus have been diverted to other purposes.
In September, the Anti-Theft Agency recommended the imputation of charges against senior officials of the Department of Medical Supplies, accusing them of fraudulent tenders presented to the administration, generating an irregular expenditure of the funds allocated in this area. The case is still under investigation after the Presidency of the Attorney General’s Office refused to confirm these accusations. Those named in this case deny any wrongdoing.
Dr Akuto told the BBC: “It’s quite frustrating … We have some doctors who were on the front lines fighting to fight the outbreak of the epidemic, and they haven’t received their salaries for four months, and we hear about billions shillings in the Ministry of Health and the management of medical supplies due to corruption. ”
