Covid-19: Kenya begins hiring of 6,000 more health workers

The government has begun hiring of 5,000 skilled health workers at county levels in a process expected to be completed in the next seven days.

Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Thursday said counties had submitted their requirements to the national government and the positions have been advertised.

The CS added that Level 4 to Level 6 hospitals are also recruiting at least 1,000 health officers, meaning there will be an additional 6,000 medical workers in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“At the same time we have asked the county commissioners, head teachers of boarding schools and those preparing meals in the respective schools to start planning ahead for any eventuality depending on population of the county, in order to create additional 1,000 beds for quarantine,”added Mr Kagwe.

“I urge all counties to heighten their level of preparedness,” he said.

The Health minister, speaking during the daily briefing on Thursday, confirmed additional coronavirus cases after 29 people – 28 Kenyans and one Congolese – tested positive, raising the total national tally to 110.

“We have placed the 29 people in our isolation facilities … this number is going to rise and rise exponentially,” he said. 

The positive cases were confirmed after the testing of 662 people in the last 24 hours, the largest group tested so far after what CS Kagwe said was on activation of testing facilities across the country.

Kenya also reported two more deaths of patients who had tested positive in Nairobi and Mombasa, bringing to three those who have died of the disease.

Three people have recovered so far – two women and a man. 

About 2,050 people have been placed under mandatory quarantine in hotels and government facilities.

Last week, President Uhuru Kenyatta directed that Sh1 billion from the Universal Health Coverage kitty, be appropriated towards the recruitment of additional health workers to support in the management of Covid-19.