There are a total of 10,355 cases and 38 deaths1 in Burundi till now after confirming COVID-19 to have reached Burundi on 25 March 2020.2 During the initial phase, Burundi has not been heavily affected by COVID-19 and the infection rate was under control. But as the economic activities are going on and there is an inadequate supply of safety materials and COVID-19 testing, the infection rate is increasing significantly recently.
Also, as new variants of COVID-19 are being found every day which are more and more dangerous, Burundi is closing to a massive wave of infection. From January to August 2021, the daily cases have increased by more than 100%. As lockdown is not pragmatic in Burundi considering the negative impact it would bring to the country’s economy which is already struggling, the government needs to implement a proper COVID-19 testing facility to ensure affected people are identified and isolated. But due to the lack of COVID-19 testing kits’ supply to the government’s hospitals and the high price in private hospitals, it is difficult for people from disadvantaged communities to avail of the testing service. Furthermore, Burundi is unprepared to handle any sudden surge of COVID-19 patients. It has only 1 doctor for 10,000 people which is ten times lower than the World Health Organization’s recommendation.
To address the abovementioned scenario, Kira hospital will create a network of hospitals to conduct 80,000 PCR tests and 38,000 antigen tests for the people of Bujumbura which is the largest city and the economic capital of Burundi. The economical stability of the country depends on this city heavily. Furthermore, it will upgrade COVID-19 treatment facilities at its own hospital as well as will assist another 2 partner hospitals to enhance the overall capacity in the region. Moreover, an oxygen generator will be installed to ensure a constant oxygen supply for patients.
