The government of Kenya has revealed that it costs an average of $10,000 to takes care of a single COVID-19 patient.
This high cost is mainly due to the protective gear required by doctors accessing the isolation wards where patients with the coronavirus are hospitalized.
According to Kenyan Health Principal Secretary, one personal protective equipment kit costs about $100 and it is used for a single session per patient.
This means each time a doctor visits a COVID-19 patient he/she discards that protective gear and due to the special medical care required, a doctor could visit the patient several times in a day.
One patient could, therefore, use personal protective equipment kits worth $1,000 to $1,400 in a day.
The bill is further escalated by the bed charges with the Kenyatta National Hospital charging $40 per night in the isolation wards.
In addition, food, medicine, and other services will increase the cost further depending on how long a patient remains hospitalized.
According to the Media report in Kenya, the cost of treatment, however, varies depending on the complications a patient is experiencing.
Kenyan infectious disease expert at KNH, Dr. Samuel Njenga said that it cost about $800 to keep the first two Kenyan coronavirus patients at Kenyatta Hospital for three weeks.
The first two Kenyan coronavirus patients have fully recovered on April 2.
There are currently 3 COVID-19 patients undergoing treatment at various private and public health facilities in Juba.