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President Uhuru Kenyatta has appealed to Indian investors in the pharmaceuticals industry, particularly in the manufacture of anti-retrovirals, to set up base in Kenya.
President Kenyatta's aide Manoah Esipisu said apart from cooperation in the health and pharmaceuticals sector, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pledged to boost the HIV/Aids kitty.
HIV patients will be the biggest beneficiaries of the new mutual agreement signed during President Uhuru Kenyatta's recent trip to New Delhi where he met Modi.
"India reiterated its commitment towards donation of essential anti-retroviral medicines for combating HIV and Aids medical equipment, capacity building and training programmes in the health sector," said Mr Esipisu.
He added that the Asian country also pledged scholarships for more Kenyan students in the field of medicine.
According to a report by the National Aids Control Council, there are 1.5 million people living with HIV virus but only 897,644 are on ARVs.
Kenya is one of the major beneficiaries of India's assistance in the health sector.
While a heart transplant can go for as much as Sh8 million or even more in Kenya, the bill is as low as Sh450,000 in India.
Kenya last December received a telecobalt cancer therapy machine through the India Africa Forum Summit Framework.
It is currently being installed at the Kenyatta National Hospital, which serves almost 90 per cent of cancer patients in the country.
"He also informed Prime Minister Modi that plans were underway to put up a cancer hospital in Kenya under a Line of Credit offered by India as agreed during the PM's visit in July, 2016," said Esipisu.
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