ISTAT Foundation Boosts AMREF Flying Doctors COVID-19 Response Capability

July 28 2020: The ISTAT Foundation has announced a USD70.000 grant to support AMREF Flying Doctors COVID-19 response.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19, AMREF Flying Doctors has supported the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Health and has rendered logistical and professional support whenever called upon.

This has recently included movement of critical medical supplies and personnel to far-flung spots throughout the country and in the neighboring countries, in response to new threats.

The ISTAT Foundation support will further increase the options available to AMREF Flying Doctors in supporting government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The support will complement the highly competent and mobile team within AMREF Flying Doctors, which is specialized in the retrieval and transfer of patients with contagious illnesses including COVID-19, Ebola and others, with high level equipment in order to address the increasing needs of evacuation missions and therefore reach as many patients as possible. The intervention also aims at raising awareness through tailored communication activities.

This funding will supplement the work Amref Health Africa is already doing to slow the spread of the virus including training health workers, preparing laboratories to test for COVID19, reaching communities with education on how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus in their community, and provide water and sanitation as well as hand sanitizers.

“Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Eastern Africa we have received many requests to transport infected patients within the region and to the rest of the world. To ensure that we do this safely and with minimal exposure to our medical and aircrew as well members of the public, we decided to invest in the two Portable Isolation Chambers” said Stephen Gitau, Chief Executive Officer at AMREF Flying Doctors, “This grant from ISTAT Foundation will see us extent out capability even further – allowing AMREF Flying Doctors to respond to more of the increasing number of COVID-19 related transport requests.”

AMREF Flying Doctors

AMREF Flying Doctors is the only air ambulance service provider in Eastern African with over 60 years of professional experience in aeromedical patient transport, that is internationally accredited and twice the winner of the prestigious, global ITIJ Air Ambulance Provider of the Year award. On average evacuates up to 1,000 patients every year, including intensive care patients who require mechanical ventilation during the air evacuation. AMREF Flying Doctors is the only aeromedical evacuation service in the region that can safely carry out such delicate missions. With a fleet of dedicated short-range turboprop aircraft and long-range jets that AMREF Flying Doctors has invested in over the years, the company is able to evacuate patients from remote areas in Kenya or neighbouring countries to Nairobi and to repatriate patients over a long distance to destinations as far as South Africa, Europe, Asia or the Middle East.

ENDS