On a mission to keep fellow medics safe
What you need to know:
- The 30-year-old doctor making size-appropriate anti-microbial medical scrubs for female and male doctors to lift the health professionals from risks of infections.
- Did her internship in a public hospital where they could get torn scrubs or one that the bottom is big or short.
- In 2016, she went for an exchange program, interacted with health professionals, admired how smartly and highly motivated they were in the stylish scrubs.
- She uses an anti-shrinkage fabric that can withstand regular washing, feels good on the skin, breathable and has anti-microbial property.
Dr Eglay Nyakoa is on a mission to keep healthcare workers in Kenyan public and private hospitals safe.
The 30-year-old medical doctor is making size-appropriate anti-microbial medical scrubs for female and male doctors. By this, she is lifting the health professionals from risks of infections.
“In private hospitals, doctors have to get their own scrubs and sometimes they are forced to source from second hand clothes or use any material as long as it meets their needs,” she says.
The risks of infections are even higher for doctors in public hospitals.
“I did my internship in a public hospital. You can get a scrub that is torn and you fix it. Or you find the bottom is big or short,” she says.
FUNNY SCRUBS
“Sometimes you find yourself walking around with some funny looking scrub,” she adds.
A scrub, she says, is a form of identification for a doctor and when they appear “funny”, the doctor’s self-confidence is wounded.
Dr Nyakoa, working at Nairobi In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Centre, got the idea of comfortable scrubs from Germany.
In 2016, she had gone for a two-month exchange program where she interacted with health professionals while honing her medical skills. She admired how smartly and highly motivated they were in the stylish scrubs.
“They have high quality scrubs and they are stylish. I felt comfortable and confident in them,” recalls Dr Nyakoa.
For now, her cotton and polyester-made scrubs are best suited for doctors but she intends to expand the targets to nurses and lab technicians among other health professionals.
ANTI-MICROBIAL PROPERTY
She has a factory in Nairobi from where she manufactures the scrubs. One scrub of a customised size and colour goes for Sh3,000.
“I use a fabric that is anti-shrinkage, can withstand regular washing, feels good on the skin, breathable and has anti-microbial property,” she says adding that she imports the fabric from China.
She says, the anti-microbial feature shields the doctors from infections. While the breathable feature allows for absorption of sweat thus keeping the doctor at ease while attending to patients.
“Scrubs are part of infection control (equipment). Sometimes, doctors wear home clothes and then put a laboratory coat on top. This exposes them to infections,” she says.
COVID-19
With death of at least 16 healthcare workers and 800 others infected by Covid-19, there is need for proper protective gear to save their lives.
Nurses and doctors’ unions have repeatedly blamed the government for not providing adequate and quality Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), attributing this to the high infection rates among the healthcare workers.
“There are some (healthcare workers purchasing PPEs and N95 masks out of their pockets because they need to go to work where they interact with patients,” Dr Nyakoa says.
“There is need for provision of PPEs and good quality PPEs,” she says adding: “Healthcare workers should be protected because they are getting Covid-19 at work and some don’t have health insurance…and if you have NHIF, is NHIF paying for Covid-19?”
For now, however, she is not focused on making PPEs but has plans to manufacture scrubs for other healthcare workers including nurses and laboratory technicians.
