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Mindray Biomedical Co Ltd is among international companies set to provide medical equipment to hospitals as part of modernization

A company from the South China industrial center of Shenzhen has won a tender to supply the Kenyan government with hospital equipment worth billions of Kenyan shillings.

Mindray Biomedical Co Ltd was among international companies named to supply medical equipment to 98 hospitals across the country. The company will supply, install and maintain equipment worth 12.2 billion Kenyan shillings ($133.3 million).

Top: The ceremony in Nairobi on Feb 6 at which contracts were signed for the supply of medical equipment to Kenya. Above: President Kenyatta speaks at the signing ceremony. Photos provided to China Daily

The tenders, under Kenya's Managed Equipment Services program, are part of a government drive to modernize the country's hospitals at a cost of 38 billion Kenyan shilings.

President Uhuru Kenyatta presided over the signing ceremony for the agreements at State House Nairobi on Feb 6.

Selections were made in a rigorous international process in which four other companies were also awarded tenders to supply medical equipment to at least two hospitals in each of the country's 47 counties, officials say.

Mindray is a Sino-US joint venture engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing and selling electro-medical equipment in the patient monitoring, laboratory instruments and ultrasound areas, says the company website.

The other firms that won tenders are General Electric of the United States that will supply radiology machines, Philips of the Netherlands, which will supply intensive care unit equipment, Elico SRL of Italy, which will supply renal dialysis equipment, and Esteem Co Ltd from India, which will provide medical theater sterile services.

"Today is an overdue milestone," Kenyatta said at the ceremony. "Today, we inaugurate a program through which people with cancer, diabetes or kidney failure will receive much needed relief, and begin to work toward regaining their full health with more confidence. My government has dedicated sufficient resources to ensure that Kenyans access modern, effective and high-quality treatment."

The Kenyan government is fully funding the project through the Ministry of Health. The hospitals will be fully equipped with medical theater equipment, intensive-care facilities and digital X-ray machines. Other equipment to be supplied includes dialysis machines, ultrasound and imaging equipment, laboratory equipment and surgical sterilization equipment.

The project will be implemented over 10 years, within which the equipment manufacturers will have recovered their investment before county governments take full control.

"The Managed Equipment Services project is sustainable as it allows for payments to be staggered over a long time as opposed to upfront payment as is the case with outright purchase," said the Cabinet Secretary for Medical Services, Dr James Macharia.

Kenyatta said: "Through transparent, cost-effective and innovative financing, my government has established a program to access and manage modern, state-of-the-art and well-maintained medical equipment. All counties will have one level 4 and one level 5 hospital equipped with theater, laboratory, renal, intensive care and radiology equipment," Kenyatta said.

Proper budget allocations had been made to ensure the program runs smoothly, he said.

"The necessary budgetary arrangements are in place - this program is not a one-off. We have adopted a program used by Spain, the United Kingdom and the the Netherlands in providing assured quality health services."

Deputy President William Ruto, who also was present at the ceremony, appealed to Parliament to fast-track the process of transforming the National Hospital Insurance Fund into a social insurance for all Kenyans. The fund is a state corporation mandated to provide health insurance to all Kenyan adults who are registered under the scheme.

For China Daily

(China Daily Africa Weekly 02/13/2015 page21)