Roche invests in Kenya as part of its 10-year Africa diagnostics strategy to enhance diagnostic access

KENYA — Roche, a global pioneer in healthcare and diagnostics, has launched its 10-year Africa strategy aimed at increasing access to diagnostics by a factor of 10 in the next decade.

The company has already expanded its diagnostics legal presence in Kenya as part of the execution of this ambitious plan.

The low-to-middle-income countries (LMICs) face challenges with access to basic diagnostic testing, as only 19% of their population has access to basic diagnostic testing, excluding malaria and HIV testing kits.

On the other hand, high-income countries enjoy significantly higher access to diagnostics testing, with approximately 49% in primary care and 68% in hospitals.

This disparity highlights a significant gap in diagnostics, particularly in primary care facilities.

To address this, Roche’s strategy is focused on driving investments and strategic partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, working with African governments and local healthcare agencies to support the Universal Health Care (UHC) agenda.

The company is expanding its diagnostics business footprint in strategic markets across Africa, with Kenya being a critical market for its 10-year diagnostics strategy.

Dr. Allan Pamba, Executive Vice President of Roche Diagnostics Africa, says that the allocation of healthcare budgets to diagnostics is disproportionately lower than the allocation to treatment interventions.

Unfortunately, this results in overall higher costs to the health system. The company aims to create an environment built on strong partnerships that will accelerate the country’s health agenda towards increased access to reliable diagnostics.

Roche’s success in this vision will mean that more people will take control of their health, more healthcare providers will feel confident in making decisions for their patients, and more countries will manage the growing burden of non-communicable and communicable diseases cost-effectively.

Moreover, Roche has already launched several initiatives and programs in Africa.

For instance, in Kenya, the EMPOWER project is an integrated women’s health initiative aimed at contributing to the prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of breast and cervical cancers.

This unique partnership between public, private, and not-for-profit organizations has established 17 EMPOWER clinics across rural Kenya.

In an exclusive interview with Africa Business Communities, Dr. Pamba stated that these clinics have also trained 300 community health workers and healthcare professionals in facility- and community-based screening.

So far, more than 25,000 women have been screened, and 950 women are now receiving treatment, he noted.

Roche has also expanded its Lab Networks for Health collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen laboratory capabilities in countries greatly affected by the HIV and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics.

Roche has already established successful programs in Africa, including the Global Access Program, through which Roche delivers 60% of all HIV viral load testing across sub-Saharan Africa.

The Roche Global Access Program aims to expand access to quality, sustainable diagnostic testing while contributing to the UNAIDS HIV 90-90-90 elimination goal.

By working with international agencies, non-governmental organizations, and governments at the global, regional, and local level, the Global Access Program takes a holistic and collaborative approach to improving health system diagnostic capacity and patient outcomes in low- and low-middle income countries (LMICs).

In neighboring Tanzania, Roche has entered a three-year partnership with Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) and Philipps-University Marburg aimed at strengthening the diagnostics infrastructure and capacity in Moshi, Tanzania.

The state-of-the-art diagnostics center of excellence established through the partnership will drive sustainable capacity building, infrastructure optimization, and establish the necessary skill sets at KCMC to meet local needs.

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