Kenya has opened discussions with Covax, a global partnership under the World Health Organisation (WHO), which will see top private hospitals in the country buy Covid-19 vaccines for their wealthy clientele.
Speaking to Business Daily, a senior government official said that Kenyans who wished to pay for the vaccine would have the option in the controlled private market. This will see top private hospitals like Nairobi Hospital offer the vaccine.
“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 vaccine and private hospitals will only be allowed to load a service charge for the vaccine,” the government official said.
The official went on to say that the process was very complex and guided by Covax.
“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,” the official said.
Kenya will be joining other countries like Pakistan in importing the vaccine for private sale.
This move will see wealthy persons who might not have been eligible under the government scheme receive the vaccine.
Pharmaceutical companies behind the Covid-19 vaccine are restricting sale to the private sector. This has seen tycoons fly to the United Arab Emirates, where through connections, they have been able to access the vaccine.
Kenya has given health workers, the vulnerable and the elderly priority in receiving the vaccine and hopes to have 16 million people vaccinated in the next two years.
Ksh34 billion is required by the government in order to ship 36 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines by June 2022.
In March 2021, Kenya received one million doses which will cater to 500,000 people who are required to take two doses eight to twelve weeks apart.
As of Monday, March 22 Kenya had a cumulative total of 122,040 positive cases and 2,023 deaths. The Ministry of Health has warned of a third wave and a spike in infections.
