Kenyans stranded in India appeal to the Govt to evacuate them

Kenyans stranded in India are now asking the Kenyan government to intervene and help get them back into the country.

Edward Ochieng and his father are among the Kenyans who are now struggling to stay afloat, after travelling to India for treatment.

In February, Edward accompanied his father on a journey of medical hope to India.

His father was to undergo brain surgery to remove a tumor that had overturned his life since March 2020 when it was discovered at Coast General Hospital.

However, two months later, that journey is slowly becoming a never-ending nightmare as the surgery is yet to take place.

“We expected ashughulikiwe kwa haraka lakini unfortunately it did not happen, ameshinda kwa medication for one full month, kwa sababu thyroid yake iko juu. So far amefanyiwa almost 32 tests, za blood, X-rays na CT scans,” said Edward.

According to Edward, his father’s thyroid level has been unpredictable thus making it hard for him to go under the surgeons’ knife. And with hospitals in India not admitting any patients, they were forced to rent an apartment, the cheapest option they could get.

“The cheaper room ni 1800 or 2000 rupees per day…na kupata pia ni ngumu because we’re not the only people here, kuna warwanda, waganda, watanzania…alafu hujaweka chakula pia, ju hakuna chakula ya maana ambayo mgonjwa atakula ingawa arejeshe damu amechukuliwa,” he added.

Based on a WhatsApp group he created, Edward said there are at least 40 Kenyans who are stuck in India. All apart from one having gone there for medical purposes, with representatives at the Kenyan embassy asking them to be patient.

“Wametuambia tujipatie moyo there is a communication between the ambassador na (Health CS) Kagwe, na pia nahofia kupoteza kazi yangu juu nilipatiwa off ya one month kuleta mzee matibabu,” he stated.

The doctors at Max Special in Delhi have advised his father that only after medicated treatment for about 4 to 5 months will he be able to undergo the surgery without any complications.

The situation in India has in recent days shown some improvement. According to data from the country’s health officials, the overall rate of positive cases per test had dipped to 19.8% this week from 21.9% last week.