Covid-19: Bungoma MCAs vow to punish health officers who rejected lorry driver

Bungoma County’s Health committee has vowed to take action against health officials at the Webuye MTC quarantine centre for rejecting a patient later found to have Covid-19.

After he was turned away, the lorry driver went to a hotel in Webuye town.

Chair George Makari (Musikoma Ward) said the committee will take action against the officials for negligence and making a move that put other people at risk of contracting the virus.

"This was totally uncalled for and shows our frontier county is ill-prepared to handle the pandemic yet we have received three cash disbursements from the national government,” he said.

"We totally fail to understand why the medics rejected the patient and allowed him to mingle with residents despite going to the facility when he suspected he was infected.”

STREAMLINING

While stressing the need for utmost caution in dealing with the pandemic, Mr Makari cited the case of Health executive Antony Walela whom MCAs impeached in June on allegations of incompetence.

Soysambu Mitua MCA Stephen Wamalwa, who is also the Deputy Speaker, regretted that the county has been on the spot for other issues as well, including the purchase of jerrycans at an exorbitant cost.

He said Bungoma must streamline operations to prevent such cases in future.

WHAT HAPPENED

The lorry driver identified only as Moses was taken to the quarantine centre by his friends after exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms.

Before falling sick, the man who hails from Kabuchai had travelled from Arusha in Tanzania and then to Namanga, Kajiado and Webuye.

The health workers at the quarantine centre took his samples for testing in Kisumu.

When he was rejected at the quarantine facility, Moses went to Al Breeze Hotel in Webuye town. All the 14 staff at the hotel have since been put under isolation.

PANIC

Bungoma’s Health Chief Officer Patrick Wandili asked panicked residents to remain calm as the county takes steps such as disinfecting the hotel.

"We will also identify all the persons he interacted with and monitor them at home," he said.

He added that the county’s plan to open another quarantine centre has been delayed by a slow procurement process.

Last month, 12 Covid-19 patients, all of them truck drivers who use the northern corridor highway, were discharged from the isolation centre at the Webuye health center.

The centre was left with just two patients.