Nandi Governor Stephen Sang has blamed Kemsa for frequent shortages of drugs in hospitals.
But the national drugs supplies agency denied the accusation. Senior Kenya Medical Supplies Agency officers were unavailable to comment on Sunday but a junior staff who declined to be named said they always process orders as received from counties.
"We have improved our services and always ensure we avoid unnecessary delays in delivery of drugs to counties," he said.
Sang said counties are obligated under the law to buy drugs only from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, yet Kemsa lacks capacity and effectiveness.
“Kemsa must shape up and ensure timely supplies to counties because the drugs are to do with the lives of people. Drugs must be supplied continuously so that there are no gaps that can cause our patients to suffer,” Sang said.
He spoke at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital where he received a consignment of drugs worth Sh50 million from Kemsa to be supplied to hospitals in Nandi. The drugs will sustain the hospitals for the next three months.
Sang urged residents of the county to use public health facilities he said had been been upgraded to offer quality and affordable services.
He said the hospitals had been equipped and staffed by his administration to serve residents.
“You now don’t have to travel far or outside the county in order to get good services. We should now utilize our hospitals that have been upgraded by the county government”, he said.
Sang said his administration had invested in improvement of facilities especially the Kapsabet County Referral and Nandi Hills county hospitals.
He said MRI, CT scan, dialysis unit, operation theaters and maternity wings were place at Kapsabet and Nandi Hills hospitals.
Governor Sang said his government had put in place measures to ensure Nandi residents were free from preventable illnesses.
He further said his administration was upgrading facilities to benefit Nandi residents and not to lie idle or be underutilized.
"The construction of Kabiyet, Nandi Hills and Meteitei maternity wings are almost complete as it's part of our desire and plan to ensure residents of Nandi have accessible, quality and effective medical services ,” he said.
Sang stated that Nandi Hills as well as Chepterwai hospitals would be fitted with fully-equipped trauma centres.
