MCX Environmental Energy Corp, a US company specializing in renewable energy production announced that it will build the solar plant which will require an overall investment of US $100m.

Kenya is set to construct a 30MW solar park in Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC), a new green city in western Kenya under construction.

The new green city, located in Butere Sub-County, Kakamega is set to house 4,800 environmentally friendly, “affordable” and medium-sized residences.
The city will also feature a 5,000-bed reference hospital and one of Kenya’s largest shopping centres.

The entire city estimated to cost US $2bn will function with green energy sources.

Hundreds of solar streetlights are planned, along with a plant capable of producing 144 MW, via a household waste incinerator with energy recovery.
The MCX Environmental Energy’s photovoltaic solar park will be delivered in December 2020.

Uganda is the first and only country in Africa to reach and break the World Health Organisation 2020 target of ensuring access, treatment and awareness creation of Hepatitis B, according to a new scorecard launched to track progress against the viral infection on the continent.

“More than 30 per cent of the population who are infected with Hepatitis B are now aware of their status and can have access to free medical care, making Uganda the first country in Africa to cross the 2020 target of 20 per cent,” notes the WHO scorecard.

WHO hopes that by 2020, some five million people will have received treatment for chronic Hepatitis B and that the number of new cases will come down to 30 per cent from those witnessed in 2015.

Uganda has spent some $3 million annually from 2015 on a free Hepatitis B screening programme and conducted a community mobilisation and sensitisation drive on the viral infection.
More than four million people have been screened to date.

“Only Rwanda (Hepatitis C) and Uganda (Hepatitis B) have started free nationwide screening as a decentralised service, and are on track to reach the 2020 target for screening and community awareness,” notes WHO.

Kenneth Kabagambe, founder of Uganda’s National Organisation for People Living with Hepatitis B in 2012, said, “Over the years, we’ve been working hard for more government support, and we’re proud that Uganda is one of the first African nations to fund domestic action against Hepatitis B.”

Uganda and Rwanda have made progress in this area.

Ethiopia welcomes investment from Chinese medical tech firms in order to gain the abundant investment opportunities in Ethiopia with special emphasis on investments in the medical technology sector.

The decision was made by Ethiopia’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aklilu Hailemichael, during his meeting held with representatives of different Chinese medical technology firms in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

Hailemichael said, “The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and other related institutions, will support Chinese firms to invest in the medical technology sector.”

The Chinese investment delegation, consisting of representatives from giant Chinese medical technology firms, also during the discussions noted that Chinese high-end medical equipments would help Ethiopia’s efforts to develop its healthcare sector, with particular importance to the treatment of cancer and similar diseases.

The representatives also conveyed their dedicated interest to positively contribute to Ethiopia’s healthcare sector via experience sharing and knowledge transfer, once their companies commence operations in the East African country.

The company’s Solar Direct Drive (SDD) vaccine refrigerators are considered by many Ethiopian healthcare officials and experts as an “ideal solution” for thousands of healthcare facilities all over the East African country where access to electricity is lacking.

Last month, the Ethiopian government had praised China’s Haier Biomedical Ltd. Company – a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational consumer electronics and home appliances giant Haier Group Corporation – for its life-saving contributions through the introduction of its innovative Solar Direct Drive (SDD) vaccine refrigerators.

The United Nations Children’s Fund recently praised Zanzibar’s roles in developing services to children including improving the health and education sectors.

Outgoing UNICEF country Director to Tanzania, Maniza Zaman, mentioned when she held talks with Zanzibar President, Ali Mohamed Shein.

She praised Shein and his government for the efforts to control Gender Based Violence and violation of children rights as well as fighting diseases such as malaria and cholera.

The UN official said the Zanzibar government has achieved different successes in taking care of children by making sure that they get their basic rights including health and education.

The outgoing UNICEF country chief said the agency will continue to provide support to the Zanzibar government in its every attempt they make which include reducing maternal deaths.

Zaman added that UNICEF will continue with its various programs in Zanzibar including empowering children economically and many others.

In his remarks, Zanzibar president said UNICEF has a big history in development issues with Zanzibar including improving the education and health sectors particularly to women and children.

Shein said Zanzibar will continue on working with various UN agencies including UNICEF by making sure that they receive their basic rights such as education and health.

The dental hygiene devices market is presently witnessing ascendency of toothbrush sales.
The substantial growth of the E-commerce sector is translating into upgrading online sales of dental hygiene devices, which is posing strong competition facing the retail pharmacy segment.

Toothbrush has been the top-selling product in global dental hygiene devices landscape, allocated to widespread availability, a considerable selection range, broad price range, and frequent innovation.

Currently, toothbrush sales account for almost 60% of the total market revenue, whereas the report indicates that dental scalers and dental polishing devices are moderately acquiring ground.
Retail pharmacies will remain the largest revenue generating channel of distribution in dental hygiene devices market.

While, online pharmacies are slated to present promising investment opportunities to dental hygiene devices manufacturers.
The report projects that revenue generated via online retail would cross the US$ 1 billion mark in the next 3-4 years.

The report sheds light on all the aspects related to universal demand for dental hygiene devices and offers insights on the growth prospects projected for global dental hygiene devices market through the next few years.

North America and Western Europe are likely to hold a collective share of more than a third of the global market value.
APAC and Latin America are confident to remain highly profitable regional markets for manufacturers of dental hygiene devices owing to invariably increasing demand for dental treatments in these regions.

Besides frequent product innovations, important players in the global dental hygiene devices market maintain their strategic focus on the improvment of distribution channel by nourishing existing marketing efforts across Asian markets, particularly in India, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Electric/battery-operated toothbrush innovations continue to shape new launch strategies of a majority of companies, while most of the market leaders are focusing on coming up with new novel toothpaste ranges specific to various oral care demands.

P&G also launched a new toothpaste range recently, precisely for improved gum health.
Dabur India Ltd. released a modern variant of their flagship toothpaste range i.e. ayurvedic specialist toothpaste in gel format.

The Global Dental 3D Printing Market Research Report 2019 evaluates the ancient performance and the current status of Dental 3D Printing Market for a detailed understanding, highlighting chiefly on the dynamics of the demand and supply of Dental 3D Printing in 2018.

The worldwide market for Dental 3D Printing is expected to grow at a CAGR of roughly 17.5% over the next five years which shows that it will reach 690 million US$ in 2024, from 260 million US$ in 2019.

The research study additionally offers a study of the current status of the important regional markets for Dental 3D Printing, such as, China, North America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Japan, the Middle East and Africa, and the Rest of Asia, on the basis of a number of important and key Dental 3D Printing market parameters, such as, the production volume, pricing of the product, production capacity, sales, demand and supply dynamics, revenue, and the rate of growth of this Dental 3D Printing market in each of the regions.

Several sections of the worldwide Dental 3D Printing market have also been discussed in this research report with thorough information, taking into consideration their historical and existing performance in the global arena.

The growth trajectory of each of the sections has been provided in global terms and in each of the regional markets, creating a expressive examinations of the overall Dental 3D Printing market.

This research study has also discussed the existing and the forthcoming ventures in the worldwide market for Dental 3D Printing at length, making it of special value for companies, consultants, and other stakeholders operating in this Dental 3D Printing market.

Thailand has successfully executed the UHC programme for its citizens and their package includes in-patient, out-patient and emergency care to all nationals.

The Government of Thailand has pledged to continue working with Kenya’s Health Ministry to leverage on achieving the Universal Health Coverage which is one of the significant pillars in the country’s Big Four Agenda.

Health Cabinet Secretary, Sicily Kariuki and her Thailand counterpart Emeritus Piyasakol, entered into a deal with Thailand so as to support in formulating the best service delivery package for the country’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) plan.

Thailand is now one of Kenya’s consultative and technical partners in UHC execution.

“We will work together with the Ministry of Health in Kenya to attain the full execution of UHC”, said, Piyasakol.

As part of the collaboration, already over 50 participants from Kenya have been successfully trained on Health Technology Assessment by the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP) in Thailand.

“UHC doesn’t only mean ‘financial protection’ but also more on universal entrance to comprehensive health services”, commented, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thai Ministry of Health, Supakit Sirilak.

He further continued saying “they started their journey to attaining UHC by developing a health system that makes sure the universal access to vital health services”.

Motivation of health workers and equipping all levels of hospitals with necessary medical equipment is also said to be a plan they applied.

The South East Asian country is just about the same land mass and population as Kenya and they have achieved this important milestone in health, even though having a low gross national income per capita at the time they started their journey back in 2002.

“The country is on the right track towards achieving UHC, adding that they have so far recorded success in UHC piloting which is at present taking place in four Counties”, noted, CS Kariuki.

Besides this, from Thailand, Kariuki has also met with Cuban health minister, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Burundi, Guinea Bissau and United Kingdom.

Already 100 medical specialists from Cuba have been imported in the country and posted to various counties.

This great help from Thailand will benefit Kenya in improvising their universal healthcare coverage.

East African digital health initiative will be launched next week and the launching will take place in Dar es Salaam during the 7th East African Health and Scientific Conference and Health Exhibition.

Digital health initiative aimed to upgrade outreach of medical services in East Africa.
Digital Regional East African Community Health or simply Digital REACH is a process that helps bring together stakeholders from the region to improve health outcomes.

The health conference in Dar will be introduced by a forum for government leaders, lawmakers and legal experts from around the region.

The executive director of the East African Health Research Commission (EAHRC), Prof. Gibson Kibiki, said, “The forum will focus on the digital health initiative”.

He further continued, “It is a dialogue between bureaucrats and technocrats who will join the health experts to discuss health issues”.

The Bujumbura-based EAHRC was established in 2008 and was functionalised in 2015 as an institution of the Community.

The conference at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre will be themed; “Technology for Health Systems Transformation and accomplishment of the UN Sustainable Goals”.

It is assigned and aimed to promote, smoothen and coordinate health and health-related research for the well being of the people of East Africa.

Kijenzi engineer Alenna Beroza, is developing solutions to deliver medical equipment using a surprising method — 3D printing.
There has been certain huge challenges in bringing health care to those in need like broken machinery, outdated supply chains and a limited access to specialty equipment and these challenges leaves Kenyan clinics with various critical challenges and therefore Kijenzi is hoping to change that.

Kijenzi, who are grown in the Penn State College of Engineering, Kijenzi’s original intention was to create an easily moveable 3D printer to quickly produce health equipment like braces, clamps and vacuum pumps at low cost.

By working in the Kenyan community, the inventors soon become fully aware that the lack of 3D printers wasn’t the problem. What was really required was entrance to the CAD design files needed to print the equipment.
This changed the teams’s aim and focus from printing to developing a system that allows hospitals to have permission to these files and to trained people to print the parts.

Clinics in Kenya using the Kijenzi system can now produce or “print” the equipment and instrument they need and when they need it.

Director of the Penn State Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) program and the co-founder of Kijenzi, John K. Gershenson, said, “Our customers are health care facilities that don’t have permission to the supply chains they require and over 40 percent don’t have the instrument needed to operate their patients. We bring the potential to locally manufacture what they need and when they need it. That is a game changer for permit to treatment.”

The Kijenzi venture team is using Penn State knowledge and expertise to bring 3D printing to rural Kenyan health care facilities. 3D printing can help these facilities manufacture and produce hard-to-get items like anatomical models, replacement parts, and job-related therapy devices.

The Kijenzi system has the ability and capability to impact many people lacking permit to necessary medical equipment in Kenya and around the globe.
Kijenzi has already had requests for nearly 400 different parts in its system. It has broad-reaching suggestions for medical education and other institutional uses as well.

After consequential testing and merging, Kijenzi is now preparing to launch an beginning program (its MVP) in Kenya this May.

National Health Insurance Fund (NHIT) to announce Health Insurance Packages soon.
The fund announced last year that it would launch new health scheme packages that would allow more people to join the health scheme depending on their financial capability.
This scheme is designed by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Angela Mziray, NHIF Public Relations Manager, told the ‘Sunday News’ at the weekend that the process was in an advanced stage and it was expected to be closed this month.

Ms Mziray noted, “This is a huge plan, which will allow more people to join the health insurance scheme, particularly those, who were not able to acquire health services due to limited financial possibilities.”

She further added that the entire process had involved different authorities such as the Ministry of Health, Community Development Gender, Elderly and Children that also gave their views and opinions to improve the packages.
She, however, noted that views from various stakeholders were taken into consideration during planning for the new packages.

This process is now in final stages and we expect it will be closed early or late this month,” Ms Mziray demanded.

Ms Mziray said the introduction of the new packages was in accordance with the government’s intention to boost the health insurance cover to the majority of Tanzanians, who had been missing out on health services.

At a meeting with reporters in Dar es Salaam late last year, NHIF Acting Director General Mbaruku Magawa said the packages would provide a wide range of choices and options and allow Tanzanians to contribute depending on their financial capacity and extend the health insurance coverage.

He explained that the packages had been designed taking into consideration people’s needs, income and treatment cost, adding that the plan was set to take off soon.

“The packages will enable a person to decide whether to join as an individual or include a number of beneficiaries of his/her choice… this is very unfavourable because it broadens the choice of beneficiaries,” he noted.

A report released last year by religious leaders under the umbrella of Interfaith Tanzania, including the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), Bakwata and the CCT advised that 64 per cent of Tanzanians had no health insurance cover.

Statistics show that 32 per cent of Tanzanians have health insurance cover, 8 per cent are members of NHIF, 23 per cent are members of Community Health Fund (CHF), whereas 1 per cent are members of private health insurance companies.

After NHIF comes up with suggestions it consults other authorities for further improvements.