A Kenya Certificate Secondary Education (KCSE) student’s family in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, is mourning their son’s tragic death at home due to a lack of medical coverage for his hospitalization. Eugene Makale, a student, reportedly died of a sore throat before his condition deteriorated.
“When evening reached, I saw he was taken ill and was complaining of throat pains even just having a meal pass through his throat was a problem,” the deceased’s father told the media.
According to the family, the government’s decision to discontinue the EduAfya medical initiative for students across the country harmed their son’s chances of a second chance at life.
The family stated that they did not have enough money to treat their son, forcing them to use over-the-counter medications purchased from a local hospital.
The family went on to say that their efforts to alleviate young Makale’s suffering were futile.
“His fever worsened. We tried treating him with over-the-counter drugs that we had bought him. Upon reaching the hospital, he died,” the father added.
Teachers at St Joseph Mukulusu, where Makale was taking the exams, indicated that the removal of the EduAfya Insurance has impacted students, particularly those from low-income families.
The teachers also disclosed that the student had complained about his condition during the exam period.
They expected him to improve, but his condition worsened even further.“On Monday, he complained of sore throat and the body was very weak until his demise,” a teacher at the school told the media.
The students also reported that their local health center was dealing with a constant scarcity of drugs, making it difficult for Makale’s family to receive better medical services that would have saved their colleague.
“Our local hospital around here, Shamakhubu, is our first resort as the residents of this place, and that is where we go if we have a medical emergency.
The problem is the place has no drugs,” another student added.Makale’s death is the third example of a pupil dying during this year’s KCSE exam in a week.
This comes after a 19-year-old student named Calistus Wamboye fainted and died inside the examination room while waiting to take his mathematics exam, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5.
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