This archive report was first published on 22 April 2020.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, the Kenyan government is looking to local manufacturers to boost production of Personal Protective Equipment and ventilators.
On April 22, 2020, Cabinet Secretary for Industrialization Betty Maina called on manufacturers to refine their products to meet global standards, during the unveiling of a prototype ventilator manufactured by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers Automotive sector.
According to a study by the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Oxford University, only 13 percent of health facilities in the country have the necessary equipment to support a COVID-19 patient, including medicines, oxygen tubes, and inhalers.
Kenya urgently needs at least 1,511 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and 1,609 ventilators to care for a possible one million COVID-19 cases.
Speaking during the unveiling of the prototype ventilator, Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina emphasized the need for the country to go ahead of the global health pandemic by raising the number of ventilators beyond 1000.
Kenyan manufacturers are working to meet the country's demand for health equipment during the global health crisis, with the Kenya Association of Manufacturers Automotive sector unveiling a prototype ventilator.
