Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Nairobi and the Aga Khan Health Services, East Africa have received Sh950 million grant from the German Government to boost the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in East Africa and support the public health system.
The grant offered by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the German Development Bank (KfW), will enable AKUH Nairobi and the Aga Khan Hospitals in Kisumu, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam to increase access to Covid-19 vaccination through mobile vaccination drives and donations of relevant vaccine infrastructure to the
public health system.
“We are delighted that, thanks to this cooperation, we will jointly facilitate this project to expand access to the vaccines in the region,” said Jens Bessai, head of division, KfW Development Bank.
In addition, the grant will support training for health, media and communication professionals in the region. The training will be conducted by the Aga Khan University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery and the Graduate School of Media and Communications.
“We have partnered with the Governments of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in various ways and this grant will ensure that we increase our support to the people of East Africa,” said Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President and Vice Chancellor Aga Khan University.
Shahabuddin added that besides Kenya, they have partnered with Uganda and Tanzania in various ways, and that this is the second grant that the German government has offered to the Aga Khan Hospitals in East Africa to support the Covid-19 response.
“This partnership speaks to our values of impact, and access and we are therefore extremely grateful to the German government for working with us to live these values as we serve humanity,” said Shahabuddin.
In 2020, the hospitals received Sh720 million for the purchase and distribution to the public health system of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and testing kits. The grant also catered for the cost of care to Covid-19 patients who could not afford to pay for the care as well as enhanced critical care infrastructure in the Aga Khan Hospitals.
