The government is now engaging local manufacturers in the production of protective gears against the coronavirus, Health Chief Administrative Secretary Mercy Mwangangi has said.
This follows a global shortage of the vital equipment.
The CAS was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday where she confirmed nine new coronavirus cases in Kenya.
This now brings to 59 the country’s total number of Covid-19 cases.
“We are in the process of engaging the EPZ to manufacture face masks, suits to be distributed countrywide. We are also looking at the manufacturing of protective suits for our health care workers,” Mwangangi said.
The CAS said as per the government’s modelling they have already quantified the needs of the Personal Protective Gears and came up with allocation criteria in critical clinics.
Mwangangi said the Health Ministry remains determined to keep health workers protected given that they are in the front-line in the war against the virus.
“We are scaling up the acquisition of personal protective equipment for our health facilities countrywide,” she said.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank our health workers for a job well done. These wonderful people work under tough conditions to be able to keep us all healthy. Protecting our health care workers is our topmost priority.”
The CAS confirmed the government was in the process of hiring 1,000 health workers to boost its capacity.
