Western region hospitals receive Ksh.2M medicine donations for World Malaria Day

The government’s efforts in fighting the Malaria disease in the lake endemic Western region have received a boost after medicine worth Ksh.2 million was donated to the cause.

Pharmaceutical company Bliss GVS on Tuesday donated antimalarials and other essential medicines as the country marked World Malaria Day.

The donations included Artemisinin-based combination therapy (LONART, P-ALAXIN, and GSUNATE) for the treatment of uncomplicated and severe malaria.

The company’s regional representative Romeo Pilkington said: “We understand the devastating effects that Malaria has on people and on the health system, and we are delighted to work with the government and other stakeholders in fighting this disease.”

The hospitals that received the donations, which are part of the company’s initiative dubbed ‘Act for Africa’, include Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital, Lumumba sub-county hospital, Busia County Teaching and Referral Hospital, Bungoma County Referral Hospital, and Kisumu District Hospital among other private facilities.

This year’s World Health Organization (WHO) theme for ‘World Malaria Day’ was ‘Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement.’

In March this year, the government scaled up the fight against Malaria using a new vaccine in 25 sub-counties in the Western region.

The RTS, S Malaria vaccine is presently being used in three African countries among them Kenya,  Ghana and Malawi.