Nyumba Kumi to police Covid patients in State homecare plan

The Ministry of Health is banking on the community policing groups such as the Nyumba Kumi Initiative, local administration and estate groups to monitor the Covid-19 patients on home-based care.

Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi said this on Monday when she announced 59 new Covid-19 cases, raising the national tally to 4,797.

Dr Mwangangi said the success of the homecare programme required the active participation of “friendly forces” to ensure the compliance to isolation and care protocols.

She added that the ministry was working on partnerships with community-based organisations and civil society groups to roll out educational programmes to stop the stigma and to ensure that the public observes the containment measures. “Our renewed focus is now to strengthen community engagement structures in the counties.

“This is absolutely critical, particularly, now that we are talking of community spread of the virus,” said Dr Mwangangi.

“The success of this programme, nonetheless requires the active participation of all of us, from the patients and caregivers at home, to healthcare providers in formal health facilities. “This is to ensure continued care, monitoring, and even referral of patients.”

She said this as the government released more than 600 Covid-19 patients showing no symptoms for home-based care, stepping up its plans to free-up bed spaces for seriously-ill patients in hospitals.

The ministry launched the home-based care a fortnight ago to lessen the burden being borne by public facilities owing to the increasing number of Covid-19 patients.

Some 73 patients were discharged Monday while two succumbed to the virus, bringing the total recoveries and deaths to 1,680 and 125, respectively. Nairobi reported 28 cases, Mombasa 21 while Kilifi had three cases while Kiambu and Machakos had two incidents each. Kisii, Bungoma and Uasin Gishu each had single cases.