KENYA: Equity Bank Donates PPE’s to Bishops’ Conference Healthcare Frontliners

Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA

As Kenya’s Ministry of Health (MoH) projects a possibility of witnessing fourth wave of Covid-19 pandemic which may be more lethal compared to what has been experienced in the past, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) through its health department has received Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s) to help protect healthcare workers in mission hospitals from infections.

Speaking on Thursday, June 17, during PPE’s handover ceremonies by Equity Group Foundation and the Kenya Covid-19 Fund Board, the Chairman for KCCB’s health department Bishop Joseph Ndembu Mbatia noted, “With the donation of PPE’s, we anticipate protection of healthcare workers at the frontline and better-quality health services outcomes in our health facilities for the benefit of the communities we serve.”

“This donation will be a life saver in communities,” Bishop Mbatia who is the Local Ordinary of Kenya’s Nyahururu Diocese said while addressing those who attended the function adding that the donation will be used to touch lives of people being served in the targeted health facilities without discrimination.

Bishop Mbatia disclosed that most Church facilities are situated in communities where government is not able to reach hence the PPE’s received “will be dispatched immediately to 14 mission hospitals as the country is experiencing a surge in covid-19 cases and what is potentially the fourth wave.”

Talking about the supporting government hospitals in the country in regard to distribution of PPE’s, the Equity Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. James Mwangi disclosed that 56 county referral hospitals and national referral hospitals have also benefited.

“I’m glad that since the month of May last year, we have maintained our constant supply without ever failing to those hospitals and without ever receiving complaints about the quality of the PPE’S we have been providing,” Dr. Mwangi narrated adding that all the donated PPE’S are of high quality and manufactured in the country.

According to the CEO, the initiative that set aside 1.1Million Kenya Shillings (11,000 USD) funds realized that the 56 government hospitals could not exhaust the money in 3 years hence chose to offer their services “closer to the people through mission hospitals and to partner with the Church.”

On his part, Bishop Paul Kariuki Njiru of Embu Diocese who also attended the Thursday event echoed that Catholic Church has facilities such as hospitals and dispensaries in remotest areas where the government is not.

Therefore, he appreciated donations from the Equity Group Foundation and the Kenya Covid-19 Fund Board and promised that the Church will continue to fulfil her mission of caring for God’s people.

“We are proud of you and we are grateful for this support. We can tell you that in every county you will find our schools, and institutions, the Church is supporting,” Bishop Kariuki concluded.