Italy and Kenya in increasingly close relations, also with regard to the health emergency and a post-Covid future, and it is an alliance that definitely passes through Malindi.
The Kenyan Minister of Health, Mutahi Kagwe, coinciding with the stop of his tour to check the hospitals of the 47 counties of the country in the coastal town with a high concentration of Italians, expressly requested a meeting with Ambassador Alberto Pieri and the Governor of Kilifi County Amason Kingi.
The meeting took place inside the hospital in Malindi which is the front line facility for the fight against the virus in the County, being able to count on the only modern analysis laboratory and the headquarters of the health staff dedicated to the emergency response, tracking and treatment of patients who contract the virus.
The meeting also followed a recent blitz in Italy by Minister Kagwe, as he confirmed publicly. The Kenyan politician met his counterpart Roberto Speranza on the sidelines of an international conference and made contact with large hospital care groups for future projects to be developed in Nairobi and Malindi.
"During my recent visit to Italy - explained Kagwe to the media - I saw the interest of some Italian companies in investing in private healthcare or in public-private partnerships in Kenya, also at regional level. Malindi is an important hub because it is an Italian and international tourist destination and needs a structure that meets the expectations of those who visit it. The Covid-19 emergency has brought this aspect even more into the limelight".
The Minister publicly thanked the Italian Government for never ceasing to support Kenya, despite having gone through terrible times and still fighting the pandemic.
"We believe that Malindi in particular should be able to afford health services of a level that is attractive to foreigners and tourists but accessible to all, Kenyan residents and citizens. In order to never again have to attend repatriation flights or Italians leaving the country because they do not feel safe in terms of hospital medical care. At the same time we would like the tourist destination, known for the friendliness of its people, to become also a destination of "medical tourism" and offer tranquillity and services from this point of view".
At the meeting, which was also attended by health and safety components of the County, in addition to the owner of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Kenya, Fabio Melloni, the hypothesis of building a new health centre or enlarging the Malindino hospital itself was launched, which in the past has been able to count on our country for the Emergency Room, Operating Rooms, Radiology Department and other facilities, thanks to the commitment of the Italian Cooperation, the Lombardy Region and the San Matteo Foundation, among others.
The Italian Ambassador said he was ready to evaluate concrete proposals to be sent to Rome, but he also recalled the great added value of the Luigi Broglio Space Centre in Ngomeni.
"As part of the new cooperation agreement between the two countries regarding the San Marco base, ratified by the Kenyan Parliament in recent weeks," said Pieri, "I would like to stress that one of the five bilateral cooperation protocols concerns telemedicine, which is very important in this period and in the future to foster the exchange of notions, experiences and procedures for epidemics and beyond.
Telemedicine was one of the first exchange activities in the health field to be launched at the hospital in Malindi, thanks to the San Matteo Hospital Foundation in Pavia, which over the years has also trained many doctors who now work in Malindi.
Governor Kingi recalled many of these ongoing links between the two countries, as well as other existing commitments involving Italy in Kilifi County, starting with the Dispensary, the fishing centre and the paved road that will connect Malindi-Lamu to the village of Ngomeni, the result of a project financed by our Government and coordinated by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, whose final green light is soon expected from the Ministry of Treasury.
It is a sign of the Italian commitment which is not only concentrated in certain sectors, but combines needs such as Health, Trade and Infrastructure."Relations between Kilifi County and Italy are more alive than ever," concluded Kingi, "and in addition to the great project of the Bay of Ngomeni, we hope to involve the public and private sector in other fruitful partnerships. And for Malindi, now that it has a Municipality again, we are looking for an Italian city that wants to be twinned, in order to start a multi-level exchange path".