By M&M
Mathari national teaching and referall hospital has received locally manufactured Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) from Kenya Covid-19 fund and Equity group foundation.
The PPEs will be used by healthcare frontline workers dealing with Covid-19 pandemic.
The donation is part of Kenya Covid-19 fund and Equity group foundation initiative to distribute locally manufactured PPEs worth Ksh 260 million to public hospitals.
The PPEs are an important measure of infection prevention and control for the frontline medical workers during the ongoing fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PPEs will be distributed to 68 hospitals across the counties.
The Ministry of Health had earlier identified 68 public hospitals that will receive PPEs for up to 18 months.
The consignment includes disposable gowns, surgical masks, N95 respirator masks, nitrile gloves, head and hair covers, shoe covers, and gumboots.
Over 95 local manufacturers were trained on quality development of PPEs by McKinsey & Company, with funding support from the UK Department for International Development (DFID), as part of a partnership with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Enterprise Development (MoITED).
The manufacturers were educated on how to meet national standards (MOH and Kenya Bureau of Standards) and international quality standards (British Standards, European Standards) in production of PPEs and in the creation of efficient supply chains.
The Kenya COVID-19 Fund Board, EGF and the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) have been making post training field tours to assess the capacity and quality of PPEs currently in production by local manufacturers.
So far, the Board has visited six manufacturers including KICOTEC in Kitui, TexPlast Limited in Kikuyu, Alpha Knits in Ruiru and Shona EPZ in Athi River, Manchester Outfitters Limited in industrial Area and Bedi Investments in Nakuru.
The distribution and last mile delivery is being handled by Fargo Courier, an independent logistics service provider selected on the basis of their infrastructure and their robust and automated logistics capability, to deliver the PPEs across the country.
Dr James Mwangi Chair Health Committee COVID-19 Fund Board speaking in an earlier event said the board has embarked on the process of procuring the second batch of PPEs worth Kshs 400 million to build a reservoir of PPEs to sustainably equip frontline medical workers.
The COVID-19 Fund Hospital Liaison Committees were established to support the management of PPEs in each of the participating hospital.
They are mandated to receive, distribute, oversee proper usage, and re-order to ensure consistent supply of the PPEs to the health care workers.
The Liaison committees for each hospital comprises of nominated representatives from Equity; a medical doctor who is a member of the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) and Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU); Clinical Officer; and Nurses Association and Hospital Stores.
Equity officials said the creation of local medical supply chains is already starting to crystalize, which is a big development for health sector.
In addition, the supply chains have already demonstrated economic benefits of job retention and creation. A majority of PPE manufacturers have recalled their staff and others are increasing their workforce.
By creating a strong local manufacturing capacity, the country will be guaranteed of a steady supply of PPEs and hedge against global supply chain disruptions while also supporting the national economy.
Equity Group Foundation in partnership with Equity Bank, the family of Dr James Mwangi and Mastercard Foundation mobilized Kshs 1.1 Billion towards the provision of PPEs for frontline healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19 patients.
Working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the COVID-19 Fund Board the initiative sought to achieve the national objective of protecting medical personnel while promoting the creation of a local medical supply ecosystem that would mitigate the disruption of the global supply chain.
Equity has committed to work with KAM members by extending financing and entrepreneurship training in order to meet the demand for medical supplies as well as build their businesses.
