Aga Khan hospitals receive grant from France to boost healthcare access

Needy patients will get quality care at the Aga Khan hospitals and outreach centres at no cost after the French government contributed money to help build resilient health systems.

The finances will also be used to scale up oxygen supply and critical-care capacity in Mombasa and Kisumu counties as a way of helping hospitals and patients tackle Covid-19.

“Cooperation in the health sector is a strong pillar of the French-Kenyan relations and a key component of the partnership between European and African countries which will be celebrated this week at the European Union Summit,” said Aline Kuster-Ménager, French ambassador to Kenya.

The Aga Khan hospitals in East Africa received a grant of Sh290 million (2.3 million euros) from Proparco, the private sector financing arm of AFD group, the French Development Agency.

Proparco is funded by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and contributes to the AFD group’s Health in Common initiative, which supports health systems in developing and emerging countries to better cope with the Covid-19 crisis.

Proparco’s regional director for eastern Africa noted that the AFD group and the Aga Khan Development Network share a commitment to improve access to quality healthcare that makes them strong, like-minded partners.

The two entities have been partners for over 15 years through multiple joint operations in the health sector by way of loans and grants.

The grant is expected to benefit 94 outreach and medical centres that are a part of the Aga Khan health services in Kenya and Tanzania.

“Creating access to care is an important mission and the patient welfare funds received through this grant will enable patients who cannot afford the cost of care to access health services. We are delighted with this outcome,” said Aga Khan University president Sulaiman Shahabuddin at the signing ceremony.