KMPDU demands transparency, protection of health workers after first Ebola case reported

On Tuesday, Health CS Aden Duale confirmed that Kenya recorded the first case of the Ebola virus, citing that the Kenyan national arrived in the country after living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for 7 years. Despite supportive treatment, the patient died on Monday.

In a statement issued by the Union's Secretary-General Dr. Divji Atellah, KMPDU stated that all healthcare workers who may have come into contact with the patient, whether at Nairobi Hospital or other points of care, must receive immediate medical monitoring, psychological support and appropriate follow-up.

He added that the healthcare workers' safety must be treated as a national priority.

"We also demand that all counties that don’t have a medical cover ensure that they provide the same for their healthcare workers. The SHA must stop locking out healthcare workers from accessing services due to delayed remittances by the employers," the statement read in part.

The union also appealed to the government to make the contact tracing process transparent to provide the public with timely information. Dr. Atellah cautioned the Health Ministry against leaving room for misinformation when dealing with the virus.

Further, KMPDU stated that the government must confirm that isolation and infectious disease treatment units across regional referral facilities are functional, adequately equipped and staffed by trained personnel.

The Union added that healthcare workers and their unions must be meaningfully represented in national and county emergency response structures, citing that the frontline workers understand the gaps within the health system as they deal directly with patients.

"KMPDU will continue to monitor the situation closely and engage the relevant authorities to ensure that the necessary safeguards are implemented."

According to the Health Ministry, the contact tracing process has so far identified 28 contacts who interacted with the deceased, and a further 23 passengers and four crew members from the flight.