Mukurwe-ini Member of Parliament Anthony Kiai has opened up on his battle with Covid-19 terming it a horrific experience; he wouldn’t want anyone else to go through.
Speaking to People Daily, Kiai noted that he struggled to get admission into medical facilities, but eventually got lucky, owing to his status as a Member of Parliament.
“This disease is there and it is here with us; when I was taken to hospital the facilities were full while others did not even have an ICU bed, I am glad that I was able to get a bed just because of who I am… I really struggled on this day, very few hospitals are even equipped to test for Covid-19 which on average costs between Sh5,000 and Sh20,000, I kept on asking myself how many Kenyans can afford this money, this is a very serious issue,” he said.
“It is unfortunate that the government has come out in the open to say that NHIF will no longer pay for Covid-19 patients, this is very unfortunate,” he added.
Explaining his treatment experience, Kiai noted that he had low oxygen levels and would have died had he not got an access to a ventilator.
“Seen a dead man walking? I was one then. I stayed in the ICU for five days. Slipped into a coma for some hours...everything around is hazy while incoherent conversation wafts into your partially blocked ears,” he opined.
According to Kiai, the medication has a number of effects on the body including; fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea.
He’s urged Kenyans to take the disease seriously, arguing that you may be okay now but very ill and on the brink of death a few hours later.
“In the ICU, I was subjected to multiple tests. I was put on a ventilator while my blood was analysed every six hours to check for viral load and other manner of ailments. The doctors told me that I had only 30 minutes of living had I not reached hospital on time. My organs were systematically failing due to carbon dioxide poisoning,” he added.
He further noted that at one point, he slipped into a comma only to wake up and find that his hospital neighbours had succumbed to the disease.
“One night, I slipped into a coma. On another one my southerly neighbour exited to meet his Maker; while on the third day my next neighbour dramatically ‘lefted after his duty of call ended. All were victims of Covid-19,” he said.
