L-R: The Executive Chairman of EAMV – Ben Kavuya, Hon Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health, Dr. David Nahamya, Secretary to the National Drug Authority (NDA) , Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and a member of the EAMV Quality Assurance Team during the tour.
East African Medical Vitals (EAMV), the only surgical gloves factory in Africa and the only glove manufacturing plant in East and Central Africa on Friday October 1, 2021 hosted several dignitaries at its factory in the Namanve Industrial Park.
EAMV has initially started production with the Surgical Gloves and Examination Gloves, and subsequently add syringes, catheters and condoms to the portfolio .
The delegation from Health Ministry was led by Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, Minister of Health and Woman Member of Parliament, Lira District. Also present was Dr. Diana Atwine, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, alongside Commissioners Dr. Charles Olaro (Curative Services), Dr. Jackson Amone (Clinical Services) and Dr. Neville Okuma (Pharmaceutical & Natural Medicine).
Dr. David Nahamya, Secretary to the National Drug Authority (NDA), was also in attendance.
Led by EAMV Chairman, Ben Kavuya, the guests were given a guided tour of the state-of-art facility. They witnessed first-hand the production of the gloves, manufactured in both surgical and examination variants, and saw the extensive testing, packaging, and waste management facilities in place.
The EAMV gloves are of the highest standard: latex, non-sterile, powder-free, hand-specific, and in a variety of sizes, they guarantee a perfect, comfortable fit and ensure that both the medical personnel and the patients in their care are safe and secure. They possess high tensile properties and will withstand extensive use during lengthy medical procedures.
Current production stands at 5000 pairs per hour, and factory runs 24-hours a day. This capacity is to be doubled by the end of this Financial Year. Even then, East African Medical Vitals is ably supplying both the Government of Uganda and private health service providers, with sufficient volumes are also being exported.
“The initiative to construct and bring into operation this manufacturing plant was borne by the need, as is seen in healthcare systems all over our continent, to stop the unnecessary and preventable injury and death many of our people suffer simply because something as basic as a pair of gloves was not available. We are here to take care of those basics, and we have the capacity to do so,” revealed Ben Kavuya, the EAMV Executive Chairman.
From the small clinic to the large referral hospital, EAMV will ably supply consumables for all healthcare facilities, thereby boosting the continent’s medical care capacity, saving the lives of our loved ones and improving the skills and work environments of our health staff.
Plans are already underway for EAMV to expand on its range of medical consumables. By 2023 it will be producing condoms, and in time is to add catheters and syringes, amongst others.
