KENYA – Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has dispensed a consignment of medical supplies worth KES 380 million (US$3,291,468) to several counties across the country ahead of the Easter celebrations.
KEMSA is a specialized medical logistics provider for public health facilities and programmes under the Kenya’s Ministry of Health whose mandate is to procure, warehouse and distribute medical supplies.
It is the first point of call for procurement, warehousing and distribution of Health Products and Technologies listed in relevant essential lists at various county referral hospitals.
The medical stock comprise essential medicines ordered by the respective counties as per the Kenya Essential Medicines List including Kilifi, Marsabit, Samburu, Baringo, Garissa and Tana River among others counties.
The list developed by the Ministry of Health recognized the disease burdens in each of the counties hence allowing tailor-made ordering of Essential Medicines and Medical Supplies (EMMS) from KEMSA.
The counties will receive orders catering for specific national strategic priority programmes that facilitate public health initiatives including malaria, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health, HIV/AIDS, noncommunicable diseases, tuberculosis, lung diseases and immunization.
KEMSA Acting Chief Executive Officer John Kabuchi said the drought-hit counties in the Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) will be serviced on a priority basis to provide a suitable cushion for primary health management.
He further said that the ASAL counties will receive nutritional supplements and rehydration solutions alongside essential medicines.
John Kabuchi revealed that KEMSA Board of Directors and Management has stepped up stakeholder engagement efforts geared towards unlocking the settlement of outstanding dues from several counties valued at more than Sh2.7 billion (US$23M).
“The counties owed KEMSA KSh2.64B (US$23.22M) in June 2019 while the Ministry of Health owed KEMSA KSh5.28B (US$46.46M),” reported the Auditor-General.
Health Principal Secretary Susan Mochache also urged lawmakers to change the law to ring-fence county allocations to pay debts owed to the state.
Chief Executive Officer John Kabuchi stated that increased collections from the counties will allow KEMSA to fast track pending payments to its suppliers among them local manufacturers agency in order to boost the national scale of the Universal Health Coverage agenda.
He further applauded Kilifi, Nakuru, Laikipia, Nyeri, Meru, West Pokot, Turkana, Kisii and Makueni counties which have no pending bills with the Authority.
Earlier, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority unveiled an electronic Local Purchase Order (LPO) generation process as part of its transformation journey to further the Authority’s ethics and integrity assurance strategy.
The state agency has automated its medical supplies procurement process which includes integrating information technology systems and eliminated manual procedures that require human intervention such as the issuance of LPO.
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