Kenya to scale up investments in biomedical research

The Kenyan government and multilateral partners will scale up investments in biomedical research to strengthen the fight against infectious diseases ravaging the population, officials said on Tuesday.

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Cleopa Mailu said the government will prioritize investments in human resource and infrastructure required to promote research on treatment and cure for vector borne diseases.

"Our vulnerability to infectious diseases that keeps on re-emerging is high and this calls for robust, accurate and timely research to help us contain them," Mailu told an annual scientific and health conference attended by policymakers and medical researchers from the east African region.

Mailu said Kenya is a trailblazer in ground breaking research on tropical diseases like malaria, yellow fever and sleeping sickness.

"As a country, we have elevated biomedical and clinical research that straddles the double burden of infectious and non communicable diseases," said Mailu, adding that Kenya is a research hub for neglected tropical diseases like elephantiasis and sleeping sickness

Biomedical research in Kenya is set to benefit from increased state and private sector funding thanks to policy and legislative reforms.

Mailu revealed that health research will be allocated the bulk of the 2 million dollars set aside for research and development by the Kenyan treasury every year.

"Health research remains a key priority for the government to help inform policy and clinical interventions on emerging diseases. We have devoted more resources to help combat infectious and parasitic diseases in the country," Mailu said.

He revealed the ministry of health will harness biotechnology to promote development of drugs for infectious and non communicable diseases.

"The bioprospecting of traditional medicinal plants for drugs discovery and development is a major priority going forward," said Mailu.

Kenyan researchers have partnered with their counterparts in the region to explore innovations that would strengthen the public health system.

Gerald Mkoji, the acting Director, Kenya Medical Research Institute, said collaborative research programs have strengthened response to disease causing pathogens in the region.

"Implementation of Joint research projects is on course to help us respond to the ever increasing threat of infectious diseases in our region," Mkoji said. Endite