Doctors in Kenya are holding a candlelight vigil in honour of their fallen colleague who succumbed to COVID-19. At the time of his death, the 28-year-old Dr Stephen Mogusu, an intern doctor, had not received his salary for five months and he did not have medical cover.
He becomes the 13th doctor to die in the line of duty in what his colleagues say is due to failure by the government to provide them with tools necessary to protect them.
— Sarah Kimani (@sarahkimani) December 9, 2020
Dr Stephen Mogusu contracted COVID-19 while in the frontline in the battle against the disease. Prior to his death, Twitter posts by his colleagues tell of the determination to keep him alive.
He leaves behind a widow and a five-month-old baby, as well as thousands of colleagues struggling to continue working with inadequate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and no medical cover.
Remembering Kenyan doctors who have died in the line of duty or fighting COVID-19. https://t.co/FvgXwmHRJW
— Sarah Kimani (@sarahkimani) December 9, 2020
Last week, Kenyan healthcare workers threatened to embark on strike action if the government does not address their grievances, which they say are key in stemming the deaths of frontline healthcare personnel as they battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Striking Kenyan doctors hold a night vigil in honour of their fallen colleagues:
Medics in Kenya have also come out to say that the recent deaths from COVID-19 of a refugee, a Member of Parliament, and a tired civil servant all happened for the same reason: emergency help was hours away. Nearly three-quarters of Kenya’s intensive care unit (ICU) beds are in the two largest cities, Nairobi and Mombasa.
