West Pokot County Executive Committee member for Health and Sanitation, Clare Parklea, has received and flagged off medical supplies worth 48.9 million from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) for distribution to 145 health facilities in the county.
“Drugs worth Sh32.2 million, medical devices for dialysis worth Sh1.4 million, non-pharmaceutical health products worth Sh13.5 million, lab reagent products worth Sh1.9 million, and X-ray supplies worth Sh550,000 were delivered to the county by KEMSA,” Parklea said.
She said the county works well with KEMSA and receives frequent supplies; hence, it does not face drug shortages in its healthcare facilities.
“A good working relationship with KEMSA has resulted in improved service delivery in medical facilities,” she said.
The county executive further revealed that the county government and KEMSA had signed a contract that would make it easier for the county to timely procure drugs and non-pharmaceutical commodities from the agency.
She expressed her satisfaction that KEMSA officials had pledged to offer credit facilities to the county in times when funds were unavailable to ensure medical services continued uninterrupted.
The CECM issued a warning against those who spread false information about the county’s availability of medications for patients, claiming that they should be held accountable for their actions.
She said that despite the fact that there are medications in all health facilities across the county for those in need, it was wrong for some people to spread a rumour that there were no drugs in hospitals.
KEMSA North Rift Sales and Marketing Officer Zacchaeus Muya said that they will make sure orders for the West Pokot are supplied on time, commending the county for always making orders early enough.
“We will provide you with the drugs you request when you submit a request to KEMSA because we are confident you will pay for them,” Muya said.
Kapenguria County Referral Hospital County Pharmacist Dr. Gilbert Korir urged those working in facilities to ensure proper storage of the drugs and always be available to dispense the same to patients.
“I will visit the facilities to inspect the drugs to see how they are kept and tracked, and if patients are receiving the medications, I will ask them about their experiences,” Dr. Korir said.
Korir said that under the leadership of the Governor, Simon Kachapin, KEMSA has always been paid on time in order to prevent debt accumulation and drug shortages in health care facilities.
West Pokot County Director of Health, Dr. Jacob Ruto, said the drugs they have received were for the first quarter.
The governor has supported the healthcare sector through the revamping of resources that has ensured proper service delivery to the residents.
“The health officers’ work becomes easier if drugs are in the hospital,” Dr. Ruto said.
By Anthony Melly and Richard Muhambe
