HOSPITALS in Bomet county are facing an acute shortage of medicine due to delayed supplies, Governor Isaac Rutto has said.
Speaking in Bomet town on Friday, he blamed the
two-week shortage on the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency.
“I want to apologise to the people of Bomet. Kemsa has totally failed us," Rutto said.
"They have not supplied us with the drugs since January and for two weeks our health facilities have been running without the drugs, since we exhausted our stocks.”
Rutto said the county has made and paid for requisitions but Kemsa has not delivered.
He said the agency has acted in total disregard of patients' lives.
“Kemsa should wake up to the challenge and supply
us with drugs. We still do not want to source it from elsewhere because they
are not branded.”
Rutto spoke during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sh175 million Sigor
water supply project.
Present was project partner Kenya Red Cross Society secretary general Abbas Gullet.
Rutto said the county will seek development partners to supply a buffer stock of
drugs that can last for up to six months to end frequent shortages.
He said the county spends Sh42 million monthly on buying drugs for its hospitals.
Rutto said the administration has appropriate budgetary measures to
ensure its hospitals are well-stocked.
He urged Kemsa to urgently deliver supplies
to tackle the depletion of fast-moving drugs.
Gullet praised the water project.
He said it was a dream come true on the
agenda the Kenya Red Cross Society set on ensuring residents get clean drinking water.
