HewaTele, Kenya’s top medical oxygen producer, received $10.5 million from AfricInvest‘s Transform Health Fund.
The investment will increase medical oxygen delivery to meet the urgent need for affordable and dependable medical oxygen in urban and rural Kenyan hospitals.
These funds will help HewaTele increase production and provide patients with life-saving oxygen.
Expanding oxygen production to improve healthcare access
Since its 2013 foundation by doctors, HewaTele has led East African medical oxygen manufacturing and delivery.
The firm has several Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) units in Kenya and Uganda. With Africinvest money, HewaTele wants to establish and improve liquid oxygen (LOX) manufacturing facilities, including a Nairobi factory.
This plant will boost output by 20 tonnes daily and reduce healthcare provider oxygen expenditures by 30%.
Since the COVID-19 epidemic, Kenya’s Ministry of Health has reported increased medical oxygen demand from 410 tonnes to 880 tonnes per month.
However, many Kenyan hospitals confront irregular delivery, exorbitant fees, and costly transportation. HewaTele’s investment improves supply chain efficiency and regional distribution capability in critical areas.
Strategic partnerships fuel healthcare innovation
HewaTele was previously backed by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Finnfund, and the Soros Economic Development Fund.
These partnerships demonstrate how dependable oxygen provision reduces mortality, notably for pneumonia in children and pregnancy problems.
As Johanna Raehalme, Head of Origination at Finnfund Africa, observes, “The COVID pandemic made everyone around the world aware of the importance of oxygen supply.”
Regional attempts to improve East Africa’s healthcare infrastructure complement this $10.5 million commitment.
Unitaid, MedAccess, and HewaTele are working together to scale up and lower the cost of oxygen generation to save thousands of lives in the region.
HewaTele’s innovation and social effect make medical oxygen more accessible, strengthening Kenya’s healthcare resilience and giving many patients hope.