Kigali, 5th November, 2024. The government of Rwanda through Rwanda Biomedical Centre received 2 Mobile clinics and vaccine refrigeration Equipment donated and financed by Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUH,N) and the Government of German valued at 490 Million Frw (€327,000) to support the delivery of the immunization program.
The donation is financed by the government of Germany through a grant offered by the German Development Bank (KfW). Handing over the donation, AKUH,N Chief Operations Officer, Shekar Iyer, noted that the donation “affirms the commitment of the Aga Khan Development Network and its partners, to improve the quality of life in the communities that we operate”
“We are excited to partner with the Government of Rwanda to increase access to immunization, a critical aspect of a healthy nation. Through this partnership, we are living our values of creating lasting impact and increasing access to quality care for all. We look forward to more partnerships with the people of Rwanda,” he added.
The donation was received by the Director General of the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, Prof. Dr. Claude Mambo Muvunyi who thanked AKUH,N and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
“This donation will help Rwanda Biomedical Centre’s efforts to sustain high vaccination coverage and ensure that no one is left behind for vaccination services. The received Mobile clinics come at the right time and fall into our commitment of achieving Universe Health coverage, by conducting outreach health interventions and bringing services closer to the community,” He said.
Philippe Taflinski, Head of Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Rwanda, noted that “even though the COVID-19 pandemic has faded from our minds, current developments, in particular the recent outbreak of MPOX and the Marburg Virus, underline that adequate medical infrastructure remains key to respond to any kind of quickly emerging public health challenges. This includes the capability to quickly deliver medical services and conduct vaccination campaigns even in remote areas. Germany reiterates its commitment to collaborating with Rwanda and the East African Community (EAC) in this regard, working closely with European partners through the Team Europe Initiative on manufacturing and access to vaccines, medicines and health technologies in Africa (MAV+)”
KfW, the German Development Bank has been supporting the Covid-19 pandemic response in the East African Community partly through the Aga Khan Development Network agencies since 2020. The project was extended to strengthen the public health system to accelerate vaccination across the region. It has donated 20 fully equipped medical trucks, 74 fridges, 21 cold rooms and 6 vans in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and now Rwanda.
Other items donated through the project include COVID-19 supplies and consumables comprising of PCR test kits, and Personal Protective Equipment among other items.
