Kenya will no longer import PPEs - CS Kagwe.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe on Friday said Kenya will no longer import the Personal Protective Equipment, PPEs citing that the local manufacturers are now able to produce better quality PPEs than those it had been importing before.

While addressing the press at the Machakos Level 5 hospital during the COVID 19 daily brief, Kagwe stated that the local manufactures are producing capacity of 25, 000 per day and the shortage of PPEs will now be a thing of the past.

According to Kagwe, some of the imported PPEs were below the standards and assured that the locally manufactured had been approved by the Kenya Bureau of Standards, KEBS.

"The PPEs that are manufactured locally are superior to the PPEs that were being imported before. Our local manufacturers are now able to produce better and quality PPEs", said Kagwe.

He noted that some of the imported PPEs were risking the lives of doctors who are in the frontline in the fight against the COVID 19 disease.

The CS also warned that the ministry will not allow health care workers to be exposed to the risk of contracting the coronavirus by putting on PPEs which are below the set of standards.

" We are not going to allow our doctors to be exposed. We will not accept any materials that the doctors themselves are not comfortable with. So people will not just come with any type of PPEs and expect us to accept", he observed.

Kagwe however appealed to the government for the ministry to be given the COVID 19 fund that was launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta to mitigate the spread of coronavirus.

He noted that the COVID 19 is an emergency and wanted the national response committee to act accordingly and fast truck their support towards purchasing more PPEs.

The Ministry of Health also donated 500 PPEs, Sanitizers, and Blankets 1, 000 each among other items to the Machakos county to help in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

While handing over the donations to the Machakos governor dr. Alfred Mutua, Kagwe urged Kenyans to visit health facilities to seek treatment.

He said most Kenyans have been avoiding visiting hospitals in the fear of being infected with coronavirus.

"I want to inform and assure our people that all services are still continuing as normal in all health facilities so I appeal to mothers seeking maternal and child immunization to do so for the well being of their children", said Kagwe.

Kagwe was accompanied by C.A.S. Dr. Mercy Mwangangi, Government Spokesperson, Colonel (Rtd) Cyrus Oguna among other Officials.