This archive report was first published on 15 May 2020.
On May 15, 2020, Villgro Kenya announced a $150,000 grant to 12 startups from East Africa working on innovations to test, monitor, and manage COVID-19 aspects.
The selected companies include KEMRI – Rapid Diagnostic Kit, Health-E-Net – Telemedicine platform, Enzi Health – Hail-a-clinic, Flare – Emergency response, Neopenda Uganda – remote patient monitoring device, Maisha Technologies Ethiopia – 3D printing face shields, Simbona Africa – UVC Light treatment, Kijenzi – 3D printing of PPE’s, and Medixus – a peer learning platform for doctors.
Additionally, funding will go to three entities locally manufacturing ventilators: Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, Ventilators Africa, and Samuel Kairu, a local manufacturer using mechanical materials to produce low-cost ventilators.
The grant aims to support product development, scale up production, and improve systems to ensure access to quality and affordable healthcare during the pandemic.
Villgro Kenya CEO, Dr. Robert Karanja, said, “Innovations like these show the true resilience and grit communities have to fight health challenges in the African continent. We have come out to support these solutions because we believe they will have the greatest impact on the fight against coronavirus in Africa.”
Dr. Karanja emphasized the importance of Medical Diagnostics and Devices in managing the disease, stating, “We need a sustainable health system geared towards point of care diagnostics to reduce the need for labs to perform medical tests. This will go a long way in reducing the workload of frontline workers and bringing down the cost of healthcare.”
