Nurses everywhere have a tough job right now. That is certainly the case for former KEF student, Apollo, who tells us what life is like on the front lines of the COVID-19 response in Kenya .
"I became a beneficiary of KEF back in 2011. Their full scholarship enabled me to stay in high school and opened for me a door to proceed to university and pursue my dream career in the field of health sciences.
When I was growing up in Kibera, my guardian always encouraged me to pursue a career in healthcare. I took his advice to heart and got a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Daystar University-Kenya. I am now gainfully employed as a nurse at a hospital in Nairobi.
As I serve in this profession, I have come to appreciate the work (and sacrifices) of healthcare workers everywhere. Being in service to humanity and saving lives is what pushes me on.
Well, COVID-19 is now here with us. And if you're a healthcare worker like me, the reality is you have to be prepared for such patients at all times now. We are always treating patients with other infectious conditions while applying caution to prevent contamination to self and others. And that's also what we are doing with COVID-19 patients. So for me, it is just another day in the office, answering a call of duty.
While the facility I work in is not a Corona disease treatment center, we occasionally have to nurse some patients in isolation rooms as we await their COVID-19 results. In such instances, you have to be fully donned in the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). You don’t want to imagine the relief that a negative test result usually gives the team and me.
This is a new disease, and what we know about it is still limited and with the varied professional opinions on the different aspects of the disease, navigating through this can indeed be tough.
We continue to give our all. Doing our best to stay safe and at the same time keep our loved ones protected as we give our patients the best care possible."
