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{
    "id": 986877,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/986877/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 131,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Murang’a CWR, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Sabina Chege",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 884,
        "legal_name": "Sabina Wanjiru Chege",
        "slug": "sabina-wanjiru-chege"
    },
    "content": "health workers in isolation and treatment sites and quarantine facilities at national and county levels and morgue attendants. On transportation of suspected cases to isolation facilities, suspected cases in Kenya are defined epidemiologically and clinically. Exposure history that includes travelling from an area that has confirmed active transmission of COVID-19, close contact with someone from an area recording active transmission of COVID-19, contact with a probable or confirmed COVID-19 cases, and cleaning a COVID-19 patient’s room or items. Once the sub-county response team or any citizen calls the call centre 719 to notify of a suspected case, the Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC) informs the county level champions to take action. This information initiates the response team to visit the suspect and assess whether the person meets the epidemiological/ clinical definition. Mainly, they are looking at fever above 38°C and history of fever or acute respiratory infection, forexample, cough, shortness of breath and sore throat. If the person meets the case definition, the patient is automatically evacuated to the isolation facility for laboratory testing, observation and treatment. Those that do not meet the criteria but are probable cases, a swab is taken and the patient is put under close monitoring by the county or the sub-county rapid response team. The person is also advised on self-quarantine until the results are out and the decision to isolate her/him is made. The transfer of confirmed or suspected case is done by well-equipped ambulance system with all the necessary PPEs. After this, proper disinfection is undertaken on the vehicle. If the risk allowance equals the risk being undertaken, as a point of clarification, no amount of compensation can pay for the risk that our frontline workers, doctors and nurses put their lives to every single day to ensure that we defeat the pandemic. This is largely a professional calling and commitment undertaken by our staff as part of their professional sacrifice. However, the Government has reviewed the special circumstances and has come up with a draft comprehensive proposal, which includes strategies to address the motivation and welfare of health workers, who are at an increased risk of infection and psychological effects, including the dual burden of caring for their families while offering service in this context. The incentives under proposal include provision of comprehensive medical, disability and life insurance, risk allowance and tax relief as well as facilitation of meals and accommodation as part of the duty stations of officers working in isolation and critical care facilities serving COVID-19 patients. These proposals were developed in collaboration with Ministry of Public Service and Gender and are under consideration. Other measures include provision of dedicated transportation facilities to healthcare workers in the COVID-19 management, establishment of dedicated COVID-19 isolation and quarantine centres and ensuring containment as well continuity of routine healthcare services in other centres. In addition, the Ministry will evaluate the inclusion of all allowances that are payable to healthcare workers across all counties and ensure that they are compensated to meet the current and future challenges as per the advisory from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC). Hon. Speaker, as highlighted above, the Ministry of Health has designated facilities for isolation and treatment of health workers who may be infected with COVID-19 at the Kenyatta National Hospital, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. As the Departmental Committee on Health, we have requested the Budget and Appropriations Committee to ensure that in the Supplementary Budget, they allocate funds to The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}