Residents of Homa Bay County continue to enjoy quality healthcare services as the County Governor commissioned yet another consignment of drugs worth Sh20 million from the Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS).
Governor Wanga flagged off the second batch of drugs at the county headquarters early Tuesday, the first consignment from MEDS, only two months after flagging off the first batch from Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
The current batch, which includes both pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceutical commodities will be dispatched to Level 3 and 2 hospitals; that is, health centres and dispensaries.
“It has always been our dream to have drugs in our hospitals and I’m glad that it has come to a reality as we receive our second batch of drugs today,” Wanga said.
Wanga urged the management of the health facilities to take good care of the drugs, which have cost a lot and encouraged the new CECM for Health, Roselyne Omollo to ensure that patients will no longer be sent to buy drugs outside the hospital.
“I want to urge the leadership of the health facilities to take good care of these expensive commodities and I call upon the new CECM for Health to take charge,” she said.
The governor reiterated that her government is ready to provide the funds needed by the sector to ensure efficiency in operations, a move that was slowed down by the pending KEMSA debts inherited from the previous regime.
She also called upon residents to assist in monitoring the safety of the drugs through a grievance report mechanism that they had put in place and which will be devolved to the lowest levels.
“Let the residents make good use of the phone number that we have put in place to inform us of any dissatisfaction with the services,” said the governor.
Omollo the CECM for health said that this consignment complemented the first batch and that it contained varieties of drugs that were missing in the first batch from KEMSA.
She also averred that most of the drugs have been delivered directly to the dispensaries and the health centres and can now be accessed by the locals.
By Brian Odhiambo and Sitna Omar
