Medical Research: Essential To The Future Of A Healthy Kenya

August 11, 2009

This afternoon, Helene Gayle, Congressman Keith Ellison and the rest of their team are headed out to the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Kisumu.

KEMRI is one of Africa's top medical research centers, and has been key to Kenya's efforts to control HIV, malaria and other diseases. Here the team is looking to examine the work of the institute, the potential to enhance current research partnerships with the American government, the status of malaria diagnosis and treatment, and the overall state of medical research in Kenya.

Many observers acknowledge that programs like KEMRI are critical for improving health in developing countries, particularly by building up local capacities for medical research and surveillance, as well as providing essential laboratory services for the region.

A little more on KEMRI from the KEMRI.org:

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) was established in 1979 under the Science and Technology (Amendment) Act of that year to represent the national body responsible for carrying out health science research in Kenya. Prior to the establishment of KEMRI, health research in Kenya was conducted under the auspices of the East African Medical Research Council which had been established in 1957 to serve the countries of the East African Community. Following the break-up of the East African Community in 1977, the Kenyan Parliament passed the Science and Technology Act in 1977 and amended it in 1979 to provide for the establishment of research institutes.