Kenya signed a new agreement with Morocco to improve the health sector, in a move expected to strengthen how the country handles diseases, trains health workers and expands access to treatment.
The deal was signed on April 9 as part of several agreements between the two countries, but the health partnership stood out as one of the key areas.
The agreement was signed by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale in behalf of Kenya. The two nations intend to cooperate by exchanging experiences, ideas, and expertise in order to promote health services in the respective nations.
Among the priorities in this partnership is disease control. Kenya and Morocco intend to coordinate their approach to surveillance and reporting of diseases which are prone to fast spread in order to detect and prevent the occurrence of outbreaks of such diseases.
Another area of priority in this cooperation is the coordination in dealing with some of the diseases that the two nations face. Such diseases include HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections which the two nations can learn from each other, as well as improvement of their vaccination programs.
Another big part of the deal is access to medicine. The partnership will support the supply of affordable drugs, especially generic ones, and help improve the quality of medicines in the market. There are also plans to boost local manufacturing of drugs and support the use of traditional medicine.
The agreement also touches on everyday health services. It includes support for maternal and child health, community health programmes, and better sanitation. Special areas like emergency care and nuclear medicine will also benefit.
Health professionals training is yet another area of interest. In that regard, the two nations will collaborate in the training of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health practitioners.
However, this is not the first collaboration between the two nations when it comes to healthcare. Previously, the two nations had worked together through the Princess Lalla Asmaa Foundation to provide cochlear implants for patients with hearing challenges in the nation. The provision of these implants helped many patients in Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.
It is anticipated that the current agreement will go a long way in providing better healthcare services in the nation.
The signing of the MoU was witnessed by the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who received Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita among other government officials.
