Kakamega
By GPU
Counties require 20,000 medics to effectively deal with the spread of Covid-19 pandemic and save lives, Chairman Council of Governors (CoG) Wycliffe Oparanya has said.
Oparanya pointed out that counties were in need of health workers in various cadres to fill the gaps in public hospitals across the country.
“The hiring of additional 5500 medical staff to beef up the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is a move in the right direction,” he added.
The medics who will be hired during the exercise will be awarded a three-year contract.
“It is good that the medics will be given a longer contract to serve meaning that after we overcome the pandemic they will still be there to fill the gap and but I urge counties to consider absorbing them permanently.
He added: “Most public health institutions face acute shortage of medical staff and there is need for the number to be increased”.
The Kakamega governor noted that before the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic public hospital had inadequate medical staff adding that the situation has worsened.
Oparanya urged counties that will have financial muscles to hire more health workers to provide support in combating the spread of coronavirus and save lives.
Addressing the Press yesterday, Oparanya assured medics that counties prioritized their lives in the fight against the spread of the Covid-19.
He added that more Personal Protective Equipment had arrived in the country from abroad for distributions to counties to protect medics against threats of contracting the virus.
“I am happy to inform our medics who have been sacrificing to save lives that the PPEs are with us and next the shortage of the same will be a thing of the past,” he added.
Oparanya noted that in the beginning KEMSA were the only body that provided the PPEs but they were overwhelmed by the demand.
“I am happy to inform our medics who have been sacrificing to save lives that the PPEs are with us and next the shortage of the same will be a thing of the past,” he added.
Oparanya added that the outbreak of Covid-19 had devastating economic effect of Kenyans adding that the poor are had hit as they are faced with starvation.
He noted that counties should put more emphasis on provision of food to the vulnerable members of the community.
“Provision of food to the vulnerable should be the next agenda of counties to save them from starvation,” he added.
The governor appealed to traders not to take advantage of the high demand for food to increase prices of the commodity.
He added that this is the time the country needed sacrifice and support of all to win the war against the spread of Covid-19.
Ends.
