West Pokot County has distributed a consignment of drugs comprising essential medicines, including anti-malaria drugs as well as drugs meant for the management of diabetes, among other drugs, to 140 health facilities in the county.
West Pokot Governor Simon Kachapin who spoke on when he flagged off the drugs, reiterated that the drugs and other pharmaceuticals the county received are a major boost that will ensure the smooth functioning of all health facilities within the county.
The county government distributed drugs worth Sh43 million from the Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) and a donation of drugs and other medical items worth Sh3.7 million from United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Kachapin said that the county recently received another batch of drugs worth over Sh45 million from KEMSA, and noted that a steady supply of drugs has brought a sigh of relief to patients when they go to health facilities to receive treatment adding that there have been no cries of stock-outs so far witnessed at the public hospitals.
The County Boss thanked KEMSA for their prompt supply of drugs and lauded UNICEF for their donations and support to compliment what the county government was doing to ensure health care services are effective and affordable to all residents.
He noted that as a member of the Council of Governors, they are happy with KEMSA’s new Chief Executive Officer for the organizational reforms he has made, ensuring the drugs procured by the county governments are promptly delivered on time.
He said that the prompt delivery of drugs and other pharmaceuticals helps reduce shortages of drugs in the counties, and enables county governments to ensure adequate drugs for the people.
“I want to thank KEMSA for their prompt delivery of drugs and other medical items to the county, and I also want to thank UNICEF for their support and for partnering with the county government to promote health care services,” Kachapin said.
He said the county has put in place measures that will ensure all drugs and other medical supplies are well utilized so as to ensure the integrity of items meant for health facilities and that the same reach patients who are in dire need on time.
“I urge those who are in charge of health facilities across the county to utilize the drugs supplied to them well, and any form of theft or misuse of the drugs will not be condoned; legal action will be taken against the culprits who will be found to have compromised the integrity of the county’s medical stock,” he urged.
Kachapin said the county government will use more resources for the health sector to help meet the needs of the people in need of health services, adding that more medical staff will be hired to curb labor shortages.
The Governor said the country is using a lot of money to treat diseases and assured the citizens that the country has a plan to put a lot of its focus on promotive and preventive healthcare so as to help prevent members of society from getting various diseases and in the process reduce the cost of treatment.
Speaking during the launch, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of Health and Sanitation, Ms. Claire Parklea, reiterated that all health facilities in the county have drugs due to the prompt delivery of drugs by KEMSA.
Parklea noted that drugs for Diabetes that were out of stock for a long time are now available in all 140 health facilities across the county, and she urged residents who have Diabetes to seek treatment since the drugs are now available.
She said that the county government has managed to hire nurses to aid in the provision of health care services at the ten health centers which were in dire need of medical staff.
She asked residents to be vigilant and report cases of misuse of drugs in health facilities since the county government has used a lot of money to procure the drugs and wastage through theft would not be allowed.
The KEMSA North Rift Coordinator, Mr. Zacchaeus Muya, noted that in their county cluster, West Pokot is the only county with zero debt.
Muya said they will continue to give their support to all counties and noted he was grateful to West Pokot County for their supportive Council Health Management Team (CHMT) and for their good cooperation.
By Anthony Melly and Florida Chepengat
