Turkana residents on Monday protested over shortage of gloves and drugs at Lodwar County Referral Hospital.
Residents say they are asked to buy gloves from pharmacies at Lodwar town whenever they seek health services at the Lodwar County Referral Hospital.
The county government shifted the blame to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority for failing to supply the hospital with enough gloves.
Samuel Ekuwom, a resident of Lodwar, said they are tired of buying gloves from their pocket to access treatment.
“Why should we buy gloves so that health workers can attend to our patients? It’s not our fault there is shortage of gloves. We pay taxes for quality services. Who has failed us?” he posed.
Ekuwom said they are also asked to buy basic drugs such painkillers from pharmacies outside the hospital.
“Why should we be asked by health workers to buy gloves and drugs such Panadol from pharmacies at our own expense? Are we really Kenyans? We deserve health services like other Kenyans,” Michael Lokwii, another resident, said.
Esther Etabo said she was last week turned away as she did not come with gloves.
She said they are now forced to seek medication from private clinics.
“It’s very painful to tell a woman who has turned up at the hospital to give birth to go and buy gloves first. If you don’t buy gloves, nobody will attend to you and that is what is happening at Lodwar County Referral Hospital,” she said.
Lazarus Ayang’an, a former councillor of Lodwar town, said he prefers not to seek medical services from any public health facility because of poor services and perennial shortage of basic drugs.
“Now they are asking patients to buy gloves for them yet they procure millions for supplies of drugs and equipment from Kemsa,”Ayang’an said.
“We have to look for other alternatives for medication. I prefer to take leaves of Neem tree (Mwarobaini) that cures different types of diseases rather than visiting Lodwar hospital,” he said.
Health executive Jane Ajele confirmed they don't have enough gloves at the facility.
She said they requested gloves from Kemsa and were only given 2,000, which are not enough.
She said Turkana county needs at least 3,000 packs of gloves.
“We are having a problem because of the Kemsa Act, which states that we cannot buy anything outside from Kemsa and yet it doesn’t have what we need,” she said.
