{"id":59848,"date":"2024-05-27T11:52:04","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T11:52:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/27\/inside-the-factory-supplying-half-of-africas-syringes\/"},"modified":"2024-05-27T11:52:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-27T11:52:04","slug":"inside-the-factory-supplying-half-of-africas-syringes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/05\/27\/inside-the-factory-supplying-half-of-africas-syringes\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Factory Supplying Half of Africa\u2019s Syringes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/03\/29\/multimedia\/00syringes-promo\/00syringes-promo-facebookJumbo.jpg?resize=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Inside the Factory Supplying Half of Africa\u2019s Syringes\" title=\"Inside the Factory Supplying Half of Africa\u2019s Syringes\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On the stunning Kenyan coast, about halfway between 15th-century ruins and the vibrant city of Mombasa, a small factory is helping to achieve one of Africa\u2019s biggest health care goals: self-reliance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With fewer than 700 employees, Revital Healthcare makes 300 million syringes a year, enough to meet more than half of Africa\u2019s routine immunization needs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the throes of the coronavirus pandemic, when governments were faced with vaccinating millions of people amid severe shortages, Revital shipped syringes to Sri Lanka, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan \u2014 and even sent 15 million syringes to India, said Roneek Vora, the company\u2019s director of sales and marketing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis is the first time ever in the life of Africa that a medical industry is exporting syringes to India, when we know India is a powerhouse of syringe manufacturing,\u201d Mr. Vora said. \u201cThis was a very big deal for us \u2014 it broke a lot of barriers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Revital is richly funded through grants and contracts from many donor organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Save the Children Foundation and multiple arms of the United Nations, and the company has lofty ambitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many of Africa\u2019s attempts at medical self-reliance have been hampered by limited funds, the lack of a robust regulatory system and the challenges in transporting drugs and vaccines. Against that backdrop, Revital\u2019s success offers hope that an African company can manufacture essential products \u2014 not just for the continent, but also for export to other countries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The company has a portfolio of 58 products, including rapid diagnostic test kits for several infectious diseases, medical tubing, face masks and a portable, electricity-free device that delivers oxygen to newborns. More than 200 of those devices were delivered to Ukraine in May 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But the syringes, in particular, are helping to fill a dire need in Africa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Countries in sub-Saharan Africa require 500 million syringes each year just for routine immunizations. And these nations are frequently hit by outbreaks that require mass vaccinations in short order. Syringes are often the limiting factor.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe world invests billions each year in developing and deploying vaccines, but without a simple syringe, which costs pennies, vaccines and the associated investment will remain sitting in the vial,\u201d said Surabhi Rajaram, a program officer at the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">More than 80 percent of the syringes needed for vaccination are produced in Asia, Ms. Rajaram said. They are usually delivered by sea, which can delay their arrival by months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During the pandemic, India and China restricted export of syringes, creating shortfalls and straining immunization programs in many countries, including some in Africa. \u201cThat was a place we never want to be again,\u201d Ms. Rajaram said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Revital\u2019s proximity to Mombasa\u2019s seaport and international airport, and to a road network that connects to landlocked countries in Africa, has reduced transport times by 80 to 90 percent, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With about $4 million in funding from the Gates Foundation, Revital makes so-called early-activation auto-disable syringes, which cannot be reused once the plunger has been pushed into the barrel. Other syringes are disabled only after the plunger is pushed all the way through the barrel; this sometimes encourages clinicians to stop before emptying a syringe and refill it, in order to conserve supply. But this can contribute to the spread of H.I.V., hepatitis B and C and other diseases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Revital is the only African company approved by the World Health Organization to make early-activation syringes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Its grants from global health organizations mandate that the early-activation syringes be sold within Africa. Separately, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has set a goal to manufacture 60 percent of the vaccines it needs by 2040.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWhen we talk about vaccines, we talk about syringes, and we didn\u2019t have capacity to manufacture syringes,\u201d said Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the agency. \u201cNow with Revital Healthcare, we can at least cover 50 percent of our needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The company\u2019s ambitions go well beyond syringes. In March 2020, when Covid arrived in Kenya, \u201cwe didn\u2019t have surgical face masks, we didn\u2019t have vaccines, we didn\u2019t have syringes,\u201d Mr. Vora recalled. The company rapidly ramped up production of face masks to 300,000 from 30,000 daily, becoming the largest manufacturer of the masks in sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Within six months, it increased its production of syringes to 30 million from 3 million per month.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">With $2.2 million from U.S. Agency for International Development, Revital now aims to become Africa\u2019s largest manufacturer of rapid diagnostic test kits, churning out about 20 million per month, and the company is hiring 200 employees to meet that demand. About half the test kits would be for H.I.V., and the other half for malaria, hepatitis, dengue and other diseases. The factory <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/revitalhcare.com\/2024\/05\/09\/africas-largest-rapid-test-kit-production-facility\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">opened in May<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Revital is also the linchpin of a larger effort initiated by Kenya\u2019s president, William Ruto, to produce health care kits for outbreaks. In a malaria outbreak, for example, other companies might make rapid diagnostic tests, mosquito nets, and antimalarial drugs and vaccines; Revital would assemble the kits and ship them to outbreak zones.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The company was founded in 2008 with just 60 employees, and it remains family-run. Mr. Vora is a third-generation Kenyan of Indian descent. His uncle is the chairman of the company. His cousins manage finance and operations. And Krupali Shah, who leads research and development, is a close friend of the family. Women make up about 80 percent of the work force, exceeding the 50 percent goal set by the Gates Foundation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Just minutes away from the spectacular beaches of Kilifi, the factory runs all day, every day, with workers taking 12-hour shifts. Much of the work is automated, but many workers spend hours in hot rooms with little air \u2014 because air-conditioning units or fans might compromise sterility, Ms. Shah said. Some machines set off piercing shrieks every few seconds. The workers were offered headphones and refused, according to a floor supervisor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Vora\u2019s great-grandmother was hearing-impaired and mute, and he said the company was planning to hire more than 200 such women to assemble the syringes. The company has so far hired about 40. One hot day in December, there were fewer than 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At 60, Truphosa Atieno, who is hearing-impaired, is decades older than most of the other hearing-impaired employees. A widow and single mother, Ms. Atieno was an elementary-school teacher, but when the pandemic shuttered the school she \u201clived hand-to-mouth\u201d selling honey, vegetables and sugar cane on the road side, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In November 2022, she was hit by a minibus and was unconscious for three days. She fractured her skull and elbow, and sustained bruises to her ribs and fingers. Still, with four daughters ranging in age from 16 to 29, she was eager to work again, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">When she first got the job at Revital, Ms. Atieno lived in Jomvu, about 50 miles from Kilifi, and had to leave home at 4 a.m. to make it to work by 7 a.m. She now shares a room in Kilifi with 13 other women during the week, and returns to Jomvu on weekends. What she makes \u201cis not enough,\u201d she said, so she supplements her income by tutoring children on her days off.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some other hearing-impaired women quit the factory because the daily wage is about 600 Kenyan shillings per shift (less than $5) and their commute from Mombasa costs about half that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Others could not cope with the daily quotas for productivity, or they disliked the ban on eating meat and eggs on site. (The Voras are strict vegetarians.)<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cOne of the struggles is adapting to the culture here,\u201d said Amina Mahmud, a project officer at a Mombasa-based nonprofit that placed the women, adding that the company\u2019s \u201cexpectations are high.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/05\/27\/health\/africa-syringes-revital.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the stunning Kenyan coast, about halfway between 15th-century ruins and the vibrant city of Mombasa, a small factory is helping to achieve one of Africa\u2019s biggest health care goals: self-reliance. With fewer than 700 employees, Revital Healthcare makes 300 million syringes a year, enough to meet more than half of Africa\u2019s routine immunization needs. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/03\/29\/multimedia\/00syringes-promo\/00syringes-promo-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1664,2263,26679,58129],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59848"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59848"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":59850,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59848\/revisions\/59850"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}