US contributes millions to improve Kenya’s health care system.
Over $31 million has been contributed by the US to help Kenya build a digital superhighway that would allow for a comprehensive view of healthcare services.
Following a meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and William Ruto—who is currently visiting the US as a state guest—this was announced.
In order to support disease programs and enhance the capacity to prevent, identify, and respond to public health concerns, the US and the Ministry of Health have collaborated closely to develop and implement digital health solutions.
This includes $4 million (about Sh531.7 million) from the Health Electrification and Telecommunications Alliance program of USAID Power Africa.
The money will go toward strengthening community and facility information systems, providing solar power solutions for healthcare institutions, increasing access to emergency medical services for expectant mothers and newborns, and improving patient care.
In addition, a data hub, training initiatives, and educational development programs are supported by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Harnessing Data Science for Health Discovery and Innovation in Africa (DS-I Africa) program, which aims to facilitate the use of data science to impact health outcomes in Africa.
The Presidents talked on ways to lessen the effects of malaria at the same time.
They acknowledged that the US provided crucial financial and technical support to combat malaria in Kenya in 2023 with a $33.5 million contribution through the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI).
In order to provide care, Biden stated that the US supports robust health systems through workforce training, bolstered supply chains, enhanced data monitoring, and reaffirmed national health rules and guidelines.
Over the past ten years, these efforts have helped to reduce the prevalence of malaria by 50%.
Biden continued, saying that PMI is increasing the amount of pharmaceutical supplies it buys from Kenyan producers in order to help the country achieve its localization objectives.
In 2024, it plans to purchase 475,000 doses of preventive therapy and up to five million more malaria remedies from Kenyan manufacturers.
Furthermore, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) is funding the private sector in Kenya by directly lending $10 million (about Sh1.3 billion) to the Hewa Tele business.
The Kenyan business supplies medical facilities throughout Africa with a consistent and reasonably priced supply of medicinal oxygen.
Additionally, the US invested $4 million (about Sh531.6 million) in two rounds of equity in Kasha Global, an e-commerce business located in Kenya that offers low-income women in Kenya and Rwanda personal care, health care, and beauty items.
During the conference, the CDC and the Kenyan Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reinforcing their long-standing partnership between Kenya and the US.
In order to strengthen the 45-year research relationship on malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, vaccine-preventable illnesses, maternal and child health, emerging infectious diseases, and COVID-19, this will assist Kenya’s Applied Science Hub.
Expanding surveillance, providing answers to important public health queries, introducing cutting-edge molecular and serology-based diagnostic techniques, and providing training in public health laboratory basic competences are the goals of the research conducted in the Applied Sciences Hub.
The CDC, NIH, and Department of Defense received an anticipated $12.9 million from the US in 2024 to fund KEMRI’s research activities.
Around 90 of the more than 250 grants that the NIH provided to US organizations in FY 2023 that partnered with Kenyan institutions on pertinent biomedical research themes involved researchers from KEMRI.
US contributes millions to improve Kenya’s health care system.
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