High Commission of India
Nairobi 

Press Release

Handing over of essential medicines to Ministry of Health

            India donated essential medicines worth USD 1.54 million to Kenya, expressing solidarity in the time of Covid 19 crisis and underlining its commitment as a reliable partner in the field of healthcare. High Commissioner Mr. Rahul Chhabra handed over the consignment today to Dr. Rashid Abdi Aman, Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) of the Ministry of Health of Kenya, who received it on behalf of Government of Kenya.

2. In the handing over ceremony held on the premises of Ministry of Health of Kenya at Afya House, Nairobi, CAS Dr. Rashid Aman thanked Government and the people of India for the donation of essential medicines, especially during the time of the crisis caused by COVID19 pandemic. In his address, High Commissioner Mr. Rahul Chhabra informed that this consignment of medicines is part of the commitment made by Prime Minister of India Mr. Narendra Modi, during his visit to Kenya in July 2016. The first tranche of the medicines was delivered in July 2018.

3. He also elaborated on the cooperation between India and Kenya in health sector such as the commissioning of State of Art Made in India Cancer therapy machine at Kenyatta National Hospital, the ongoing online e-ITEC courses for COVID19 management for Kenyan healthcare professionals, proposed tele-medicine project to connect Kenya’s hospitals with those in India and India’s commitment to establish a cancer hospital in Kenya in collaboration with Japan.

4. High Commissioner Mr. Chhabra also informed about the commitment made by Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India during his telephonic conversation with Amb. Raychelle Omamo, Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kenya, for donation of Chlorine in the form of Calcium Hypochlorite for water treatment, at her request. Following the conversation, Government of India, in a special gesture, had allowed one-time commercial export of 379,000 Hydroxychloroquine tablets to Kenya, which along with its formulations are otherwise prohibited for export from India.

[Nairobi, 13 May 2020]

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