Gov't Seeks Deal to Allow Private Hospitals to Import COVID-19 Vaccines for Wealth Kenyans

Kenya is pursuing a deal that will see top private hospitals in the country procure COVID-19 vaccines for wealthy Kenyans.

Business Daily reports that the government is in talks with COVAX to allow private health facilities to buy COVID-19 jabs from the global partnership.

COVAX is a global initiative co-led by among others, Gavi, CEPI, UNICEF, and WHO. Its aim is to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines and to guarantee fair and equitable access for all countries in the world.

Proponents of the initiative argue that it will provide COVID-19 vaccines to vulnerable and well-off Kenyans, who are not on the government’s priority list.

The government plans to inoculate at least 16 million Kenyans against COVID-19 in two years, with priority being given to health and frontline workers, the elderly, and the vulnerable.

“The discussions are underway on private hospitals buying and getting the jabs, but they are not straightforward because we must have an indemnity agreement with the hospitals. We do not have a timeframe now because it is a complex process that is being guided by Covax,” a health ministry official told Business Daily.

“Just like other vaccines like Polio, we will allow private hospitals to offer it because the idea is to vaccinate as many people as possible. It will be necessary to regulate the jab and private hospitals will only be allowed to load a service charge for the vaccine,” the official added.

Kenya received the first batch of 1.02 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via COVAX in early March and a 100,000 shot donation from the Indian government.