Covid-19: Kenya gets drugs from India

India has allowed one-time export of Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate USP 200 mg to Kenya to support Kenya in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

The country ordered a one-off consignment of 379,000 tablets of the drug from India after the Asian nation partially lifted a ban on the export of the drug last month.

The deal followed a telephone conversation between Foreign Affairs secretary Raychelle Omamo and Indian External Affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“In keeping with excellent bilateral ties, as a special gesture, India has allowed one-time export of prohibited Hydroxychloroquine Sulphate USP 200 mg (379,000 tablets) to Kenya to support Government of Kenya in its fight against COVID19 pandemic,” read a communique from the Indian High Commission.

In addition, the second tranche of essential medicines (HIV medicines worth Sh163,686,600) has also arrived in Nairobi, as gift from Government of India.

The first tranche of essential medicines, as part of India’s commitment to provide essential medicines to the people of Kenya, was delivered in July 2018.

Government of India has also committed to gift chlorine in the form of Calcium Hypochlorite (HTH) for water treatment as requested by Government of Kenya.