Kenya Prioritizing Local Manufacturing of Health Products

From Twitter/@MOH_Kenya

Kenya is prioritizing self-sufficiency in health through partnerships meant to catalyse local manufacturing of health products, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe says. Speaking in Rome, Italy during the second European Corporate Council on Africa and the Middle East (ECAM), CS Kagwe said the COVUD-19 pandemic has imparted critical lessons to developing nations.

“COVID-19 has exposed us to the dark underbelly of disparity and the vulnerabilities we face when we surrender key issues, as critical as a national healthcare system, to the custody of others. This has unfortunately been the trend in many developing nations, where the dependence on donor funding has undermined the need to develop domestic self-sustaining systems.

The pandemic has underlined the need to strengthen regional supply chain of affordable health products as well as prioritization of prevention mechanisms that would safeguard life and overall well-being. We are leveraging the richness of our research capacity to engage with global counterparts, developers and manufacturers to strengthen our local capacity to identify, diagnose and adequately treat illnesses. — CS Kagwe

Kenya is eager to attract private institutions willing to collaborate on Telemedicine, diagnostics capacity, vaccine & pharma production to increase access to specialized health services & also strengthen the regional supply chain of affordable health products.

CS Kagwe called for enhanced partnership between African nations and their middle east counterparts.

Multilateralism seems to work among the more equal and those able.  We cannot stand by and wait for it to work. Africa and the Middle East must work together first.  Not only do they face some similar challenges in Healthcare and Education, but the regions of Africa and the Middle East share a historic and cultural depth. – CS Kagwe