The Mombasa government is in talks with the Technical University of Mombasa to set up a 300-bed capacity hospital exclusively for Covid-19 patients.
Governor Hassan Joho on Thursday met with the university management, led by vice chancellor Leila Abubakar, to discuss the possibility of turning one of the university buildings into a Covid-19 facility.
A committee of doctors from the private and public sectors was formed to deliberate on the plan. Already, the Engineering block has been earmarked for the project.
For a start, the county will ensure the hospital is up and running with at least 50 beds for patients.
Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital CEO Iqbal Khandwala on Thursday said this is in addition to another 150-bed capacity facility at the CGTRH that has been converted into an exclusive Covid-19 medical centre.
This means once all is said and done, Mombasa will have at least 468 beds for Covid-19 patients. The CGTRH had an initial 18-bed isolation ward.
"As we speak today, it’s full," Khandwala said on Thursday afternoon.
He spoke after taking Governor Joho on a tour of the Lady Grig maternity wing, which has a bed capacity of 150 — 60 of which will be dedicated to handling moderate cases of the virus.
Thirty beds will be handling critical cases that also need ventilator support. Another 60 beds will be dedicated to maternal cases — expectant mothers who contract the virus.
“We are going to treat them in a separate theatre. This is going to be a Covid-19 maternity [ward] where the caesarean section will be done,” Khandwala said.
He said the Lady Grig section will now be separated from the other sections of the hospital.
“This is going to be no interference and no cross-infection between normal cases and the Covid-19 cases,” the CEO said.
A section of the hospital has also been set aside for staff to be screened regularly to ensure they are not infected and those who are, are treated exclusively.
The county government provided Sh64 million for the set-up of the new Covid-19 medical centre. However, Khandwala said this is only a stop-gap measure as they anticipate an explosion of the cases before the TUM Engineering block is fully converted into a hospital
Vaghela Vinesh, who heads the hospital’s Covid-19 response team, said the Lady Grig Covid-19 centre has 24 ICU beds.
"Should we get severe Covid-19 cases that need immediate intubation and ventilation, we are ready with our anaesthetics team and physicians all on board,” Vaghela he.
"We can admit them even now as we speak."
Vaghela said children and persons with disability have also been considered and will have their own space at the hospital. He said there is still room for expansion.
Mombasa county commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said the concerted efforts that residents and leaders have shown in the fight against the novel coronavirus is remarkable.
“If we continue like this, we will defeat this pandemic,” he said.
Joho said the measures are being put in place in preparation for mass-testing.
“Let us now get prepared for mass-testing. You had assured us that mass-testing will begin soon. Any patient found will be brought here for treatment,” the governor said.