You will be on your own if Ebola strikes Kenya- Warns Kenyan Doctors

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has warned that Kenyans could be on their own if Ebola strikes the country.

The union through their secretary general, Sultan Matendechero, has said that if a case of Ebola is confirmed in the country in the absence of the measures that are going to avoid preventable risk, the doctors will join the members of public in suffering. He said that doctors will not agree to go to hospitals which are not prepared

KMPDU chairperson, Nelly Bosire, added that the health cabinet secretary should not be issuing statements about the country’s preparedness towards Ebola. She said the health workers should take this role since they will be the first contact when there is an Ebola outbreak

The medical practitioners said that very few doctors have been trained on how to deal with an outbreak. They said that less than 5 % of all health workers in Kenya know how a protective gear looks like and very few of them have attended training

The government has maintained that it remains alert over any possible outbreak with intensified screening at all points of entry. But the doctors have said that many porous entry points have made this impossible with many unscreened immigrants making their way in to the country

The World Health Organization (WHO) has also raised concerns over the speed at which suspected cases were being tested and declared negative within 48 hours. They have warned that all suspected cases should be quarantined for at least 48 hours to effectively determine their status. The warning came in the wake of the death of a woman at the JKIA who was declared negative barely 48 hours after tests were carried out on her blood samples