- Kibwana said the national government should allow them to source for drugs from other credible vendors at a competitive rate.
- “This purchase is a supplementary order to another purchase we made earlier from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency amounting to Sh90 million,” he said.
Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana flagged off seven trucks of medical supplies worth more than Sh70 million to various county health facilities.
Kibwana said the consignment purchased from Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies included drugs, non-pharmaceuticals, lab re-agents and personal protective equipment.
“This purchase is a supplementary order to another purchase we made earlier from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency amounting to Sh90 million,” he said on Tuesday.
The governor spoke to the press before he flagged off the consignment at the Makueni County Referral Hospital.
He said the faith-based health centres supported by the county government will benefit from the drugs in order to offer subsidised services.
Kibwana said the national government should allow counties to source for drugs from other credible vendors at a competitive rate.
“The national government needs to rethink the KEMSA monopoly and change tact as we have seen it is not able to offer medical supplies to both levels of government adequately,” the governor said.
Speaking at the same function, the deputy governor who is also the acting Health executive, Adelina Mwau, lauded the county government for investing heavily in medical supplies to enhance universal healthcare in the county.
Mwau said the county government has increased the Makueni Care from Sh500 to Sh1,000.
Beneficiaries will however, have to wait for two weeks before they can use the card.
“We have taken this measure collectively and it has been passed in the assembly. This is geared towards raising more funds to offer quality health care services to our people,” Mwau said.
She urged those who have not yet acquired the Makueni Care card to do so in good time, so as to enable them access affordable medical services at various health facilities in the region.
The county government plans to launch a registration drive at the community level in order to register more residents to the UHC scheme.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)