Dangote Foundation donates 5 mobile clinics to Kenya

By A’isha Biola Raji

Dangote Foundation recently donated 5 fully kitted mobile clinics to the people of Kwale, in the Republic of Kenya, to support the country’s drive towards achieving zero HIV infections.

Chairman of Dangote Foundation Aliko Dangote in his remark lauded the country’s first lady, Mrs. Margaret Kenyatta on her effort to mobilize and provide leadership towards achieving zero new HIV infections and also in reducing the number of deaths among women and children in Kenya.

Dangote, who said his foundation is committed to promoting healthcare and well- being of Africans, particularly the vulnerable and disadvantaged, affirmed the fact that every African has the right to quality healthcare.

He said: “We heard the call of the First Lady and, motivated by her commitment and drive, we have answered. This clinic is one of the five we have donated to the Beyond Zero campaign. Three have already been commissioned in Kisii, Migori, and Kilifi. It is our way of supporting the work of the First lady of Kenya and we are happy that many of the beneficiaries gathered here today are on hand to witness the commissioning.”

Lamenting the high mortality rate in Africa, he said despite the fact that the lifetime risk of maternal death in developing countries was 1 in 160, compared to 1 in 4000 in industrialized countries, women in sub-saharan Africa face the highest lifetime risk followed by South Asia.

He said, “Though the global maternal mortality ratio declined by 45 per cent between 1990 to 2013-from 380 deaths per 100,000 live births, according to UN inter-agency estimates, it is less than half the 5.5 per cent rate needed to achieve the three-quarters reduction in maternal mortality targeted for 2015 in Millennium Development Goal 5.”

Dangote however praised the efforts of the Margaret Kenyatta, who is at the forefront in Kenya, in the war against “this killer of women and newborns”

Challenging African leaders to leverage resources to improve health infrastructure, support the training of health workers and entrench preventive health practices, including routine immunization of all African children, he called for partnership for the Continent to win the war against maternal mortality.

Dangote continued, “Due to the healthcare system delivery gaps on our continent, it is essential that we work through partnerships such as this to succeed substantially. It is the one sure way of attaining the large scale impact required to build a vibrant and robust health system that meets the needs of our burgeoning population.”