Treating Covid-19 becomes a task on the hill for some patients in public hospitals as they are now required to pay for protective gear used by medics treating them.
The latest revelation comes after the government reneged on its promise to foot the medical bills.
Covid-19 patients are now required to pay their bills, with most charges catering for masks, hazmat suits, gloves, and other PPEs that the health workers don while on duty.
Sources say that this could be due to the rising cost of equipment and materials used in the treatment of Covid-19.
A full personal protective kit that used to cost Sh7,000 now goes for between Sh11,500 and Sh12,000.
A source in one of the hospitals told the Nation that the government has not been releasing cash to the facilities for the bills accrued by Covid-19 patients.
“We are using our money to buy the protective gear and when the government says it will take care of the patients and it does not, we are left struggling,” said the source.
Some of the facilities that are charging patients include Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral, and Research Hospital.
Reports say at Kenyatta University Hospital patients are charged between Sh60,000 and Sh80,000 for treating Covid-19.
While a patient in an intensive care unit is likely to pay up to Sh71,000 per day.
READ MORE
- How Uhuru Kenyatta’s nice ate Shs 84 million COVID-19 tender
- Double pain as HIV positive Female MP is ill with COVID-19
- Chinese Among Leading Foreigners With Covid-19 In Kenya
- Woman drinks man’ s semen to fight off coronavirus (Video)
During one of the previous daily Covid-19 briefings, Acting Health Director-General Dr. Patric Among said it will cost asymptomatic patients about Sh21,000 while those with mild symptom are likely to pay Sh 21,000 per day for treatment of Covid-19
The acting DG noted that the high cost of treating the virus was due to the protective gears needed by medics treating the patients.
