Doctors attending to the eight Comoros nationals who survived a boat tragedy after staying in the Ocean for 22 days have said that they will have to remain for another five days.
The doctors are trying to the survivors who were in a bad state when they were rescued in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean.
Medics at the hospital said the survivors are responding well to treatment and the three who were critical are now getting better.
A representative of the Comoros Embassy arrived on Monday night and is with them helping coordinate their communication with their relatives back home.
Malindi Sub County Hospital Medical Superintendent Job Gayo said all the victims are on a special diet and are treated like surgical patients because of how they survived for three weeks drinking only salty water.
He said they are treating their kidneys and counseling them as some were psychologically tortured when they reached the hospital because of the experience.
“Three of them were in critical condition and just looked like they were lying on the boat because we saw they were having pressure sores in the areas where they seat on,” he said.
He said they are taking care of their wounds and ensure that their diet is special as they cannot take the normal meals like any other person due to their condition.
Mr. Gayo said the consulate from Comoros came and is taking care of them and their families to enable them to know they are alive.
“We are not giving them normal food like bread, ugali rice super get they are on special nutritive supplements which are taken as drinks and we cannot allow them to eat food because they have been on salty water their digestive system needs to be given time to come to terms with the fact that they are no longer taking the salty water,” he said.
He however appealed for well-wishers to come in and help them with their basic needs as they are foreigners who have nothing including toothbrushes, clothes, shoes since they were all lost in the sea.
Comoros Embassy representative of Mubarak Ali said he arrived at the hospital on Monday after getting the information about the tragedy in the evening and has since been with them.
He said he has been able to coordinate communication between the survivors and their relatives back home and it has enabled both of them to be calm.
“Last night I shared on Facebook about the tragedy and the survivors some of the families’ members I have talked to and they have also spoken with them and now they are recovering after the communication,” he said.
He said the families are happy with the cooperation exhibited by the Kenyan authorities since the survivors were rescued and how they were treated to date.
“Since I came, they told me they were traveling and the engine of the speed boat developed mechanical problems and they were pushed by strong winds until they found themselves in the Kenyan waters,” he said.
Malindi Sub County Health Administrative Officer Said Ali Said appealed to well-wishers in Malindi to donate their special diet food for the survivors, clothes, and utensils for them to use.
“Help us with spoons, water, the food they also want clothes and other personal needs, kindly those who are well off in Malindi can support in any way because these people are foreigners and do not have any relatives,” he said.
He said the hospital administration will see what they will do on the medical bill but require help to support them with the basic necessities.
*This article was written by Ramadhan Kambi for Uzalendo News. Email: uzalendonews@gmail.com to submit your story.
