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The Aga Khan Development Network donates PPE, equipment to Busia hospital

The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in collaboration with the European Union has donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Busia County Referral Hospital (BCRH). The multi-sector programme is helping to strengthen existing health responses and increase awareness of prevention strategies and support mechanisms; while also minimising the socio-economic impact of the crisis among the young and vulnerable. The project is also supporting the establishment of a digital online platform for use by the health workers to learn on Covid-19 response and management through procurement and installation of conference equipment. The e-health learning equipment donated to The County Referral Hospital include cameras, microphones, speakers, TV screens and desktop computers. "The PPEs and e-health learning equipment will go a long way in supporting the county's health workers to provide quality services to Covid-19 patients," said Kennedy Mulama, the Project Manager, Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu.

The Global Institute for Disease Elimination awards USD1 million to ground-breaking health projects in endemic countries

The Global Institute for Disease Elimination (GLIDE) has announced the winners of its inaugural Falcon Awards for Disease Elimination. Launched in April this year, the Falcon Awards received 220 applications from across 44 countries, as part of a drive to discover and implement innovative approaches to disease elimination which focus on eliminating one or more of GLIDE’s four focus diseases: malaria, polio, lymphatic filariasis and river blindness. One of the winners was Dr Jai Das, Assistant Professor for the Division of Women and Child Health and Section Head, Public Health and Epidemiology at the Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Dr Das will use personalised incentives such as cash transfers, voucher schemes, and lotteries to encourage greater uptake of polio vaccines. The project will be rolled out in the districts of Karachi and Pishin, two of 40 Super High-Risk Union Councils identified by the government as hotbeds of vaccine refusals and poliovirus circulation.

Aga Khan University Hospital delivers the first-ever gene therapy in Pakistan for spinal muscular atrophy

Geneticists have delivered the first-ever gene therapy for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) at the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), obtaining extraordinary results. SMA is a group of hereditary diseases that destroys motor neurons which are nerve cells in the brain stem and spinal cord, that control essential skeletal muscle activity such as speaking, walking, breathing, and swallowing, leading to muscle weakness and atrophy. A two year old boy named Shavez was treated at AKUH. For his treatment, in addition to the drug cost, his family needed financial support to  cover other treatment costs. They received this from the Aga Khan University Hospital’s Welfare Programme. The hospital is committed to providing access to quality healthcare, and in 2020, supported over 850,000 patients. Shavez received free-of-cost care at AKUH, making it possible for him to get world-class quality care at no additional financial burden to his family.

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