The global Covid-19 pandemic has continued to hit the country badly since the first case was detected in March 2020. Months later, with fresh measures put in place to combat the crisis, job losses, destruction of livelihoods and economic recession, different institutions in the country felt the heat of Covid-19 effects in the country. Health care institutions becomes overwhelmed by the pandemic as numbers of casualties continue to surge.

In the middle of the heat of the pandemic CADIS-KENYA in a quick and efficient way, initiated an emergency intervention which was big relief to the Camillian’s affiliated mission hospitals namely;

St Camillus Tabaka Mission Hospital, in Kisii County

St Camillius Hission hospital Karungu, Homabay County

St Camillius Health Centre Ndundu, Kiambu County

Notably with an already overwhelmed health system, the government gave little support to the mission hospitals on training of health staff on the management of the corona virus. Scarcity of protective gears and scanty information on the new virus drove these hospitals into a spirited anxiety. Clients too were hesitant to approach the center for treatment as it had demonstrated a high level of unpreparedness in handling the virus. Time was of essence to avert a health crisis in the facility

Fortunately, In the nick of time, CADIS Central office in Italy has made a proposal to the Italian Conference of Catholic Bishops for support. The proposal was approved and CADIS – KENYA was to implement the project. This was good news in the middle of uncertainty. This project that restored hope in fight agaist Covid-19 was launched on 8th July 2020. At Ndundu Mission health center, the staff were provided with sufficient scrubs to comfortably change into while attending patients to avoid contamination and infections.

The center also through CADIS – KENYA got equipped with a weight height scale machine. This solved the severe challenges of not capturing patients’ blood pressure, weight, height temperatures and Body Mass Index. While ensuring that there’s no transmission of infection from one patient to another Tabaka mission hospital was another beneficiary of this project through CADIS-KENYA. As a result of this project, the mission hospital ensured that all its frontline health workers were facilitated with proper training and knowledge on how to respond to the virus crisis.

They were also fully equipped with protective gear in relation to their work position, age and any underlying conditions. Consequently, Tabaka health Centre through the CEI and CADIS- KENYA project, managed to set up and maintain an isolation unit that was set and up to the required standards with enough therapeutic equipment, PPES, drugs, diagnostic equipment and oxygen concentrators St Camillius Mission Hospital Karungu received protective equipments and many other equipments. In conclusion, through this project, the heath facilities were able able to save lives, both of the frontline health care workers and the patients at the peak of Covid-19 pandemic.

Rev Fr Francis Maina, MI & Rev Fr Samuel Oleck, MI CADIS – KENYA TEAM