Death of doctor who helped children smile leaves huge gap in a field with few experts
When Ashraf Emarah, one of the top specialists in western Kenya, contracted the Covid-19 virus and his condition worsened there were no intensive care (ICU) beds available at his hospital - the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret.
Dr Emarah had taught medical students at the MTRH, the country’s second biggest referral hospital, for decades.
The doctor’s family and colleagues then tried to get him transferred to the capital, Nairobi, hundreds of miles away.
But the cost of getting an air ambulance evacuation, was “too expensive”, a doctors’ union official said.
A vital drug that he needed when his situation became critical was also hard to afford.
“Doctors had to contribute to buy the drug” to stabilise him, Dr Chibanzi Mwachonda, the acting secretary-general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, told a parliamentary committee.
“It was a sad situation,” Dr Mwachonda said, pointing to the fact that doctors did not have comprehensive medical cover from the national insurer.
The ailing doctor was taken to a private hospital in Nakuru, a town roughly halfway between Eldoret and Nairobi, where he waited for an ICU bed to become available in the capital. But just a day later, on Friday November 13, he died.
Emarah was the fourth specialist doctor to die that week, a grim statistic in a country where there are about 7,000 doctors for a population of 48 million.
A week before his death, he had been conducting surgery and supervising students, before developing symptoms days later, his friend Dr Anthony Akoto said.
“He died on the frontline, in the line of duty,” said Dr Akoto, who is also a union official, noting that the death had taken away the only plastic surgeon of his experience in western Kenya.
“The country has few plastic surgeons. At his level, we only had him, though we have some other upcoming surgeons, but we still have gaps.”
Kenya’s medical practitioners’ board listed only four specialist plastic and reconstructive surgeons in the country by 2018.
Toughest period
An Egyptian by birth, Dr Emarah who arrived in the country about 30 years ago, has been described by colleagues as a mentor, teacher and brilliant surgeon who will be greatly missed.
The doctor was well known for the surgical repair of thousands of children born with cleft lip palate, helping them to smile, and passing on his experience to surgeons in neighbouring countries including Somalia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Since coronavirus arrived in the country in March, at least 14 doctors have died in the wake of the pandemic.
On Monday, the KMPDU announced that Dr Stephen Mogusu died after contracting Covid-19.
On top of this, at least 20 nurses and 10 clinical officers have passed away from the virus.
Overall, at least 2,000 health workers have been infected with the virus, including Dr Mwachonda, the medical union’s top official, who recently described the heavy burden it had on his mental state.
“It’s the toughest period I have had this year… At some point I had given up - I was like: ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it,’” he told local television station NTV.
The coronavirus infection numbers in Kenya have been increasing again in recent weeks, with November recording the highest number of daily infections as well as deaths since the pandemic began in the country.
The country has so far recorded more than 88,000 coronavirus cases, including over 1,500 deaths. Dr Doreen Lugaliki, an obstetrician/gynaecologist, was the first Kenyan doctor to succumb to coronavirus. She was 39 when she died on 10 July.
Specialist doctors
In the week of Dr Emara’s death, Dr Vladimir Schuckin, a bariatric surgeon, Dr Hudson Inyangala, a public health specialist and Dr Robert Ayisi, a paediatrician all died.
The union urged doctors to abstain from duties “where the environment is unsafe”.
With the death of more specialist doctors, and the government seemingly unable to immediately address the situation, the doctors called for a strike starting 7 December before suspending it for two weeks, to give room for further talks.
“How do you fight a war when all your soldiers are falling in numbers? We need to be protected,” Dr Mwachonda told the parliamentary committee.
As he spoke about the dire environment under which Kenyan health workers work, some of the MPs broke down.
The health ministry has acknowledged some of the issues raised by the unions, but has denied that it had neglected the workers, saying their needs would be met and noted ongoing consultations.
“Neglecting our soldiers would be tantamount to facing an enemy without any defence,” Health Cabinet Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi said.
Some of the problems in Kenya’s health facilities have been linked to corruption, and there have been allegations that some of the funds earmarked for the fight against coronavirus have been diverted to other purposes.
In September, the country’s anti-graft agency recommended charges against top officials at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) accused of awarding tenders that led to the irregular expenditure of funds. The matter is still under investigations after the top prosecutor declined to approve charges.
“It is very discouraging… We have some doctors who have been on the frontline, fighting against this pandemic and they have not been paid for four months, yet you hear that at the health ministry and Kemsa, we have lost billions of shillings through corruption,” Dr Akoto said.-BBC
