Track drug use in public hospitals, Barasa urges residents

The Kakamega county government has asked residents to audit the use of drugs supplied to public hospitals.

This aims at checking the theft of drugs and non-pharmaceuticals supplied to public health facilities by staff who sells them to private hospitals and chemist.

On January 27, Governor Fernandes Barasa said that the county had put in place an inspection and acceptance committee and mechanisms to nab those stealing drugs from public hospitals for sale in private facilities.

Barasa said that residents need to report to the county authorities anytime they are asked to go and buy medicine or non-pharms from private chemists.

“There will be continuous restocking of all our health facilities on a quarterly basis to ensure uninterrupted services to our people because we promised them services and we must deliver,” he said.

The county chief spoke during the delivery of Sh13 million worth of drugs and non-pharms to Lugari and Matete Level Four hospitals.

Barasa said that the issue of shortage of drugs in public hospitals will be a thing of the past under his regime.

He has announced that his administration will focus on service delivery in the health sector as opposed to infrastructure development.

Barasa also vowed to smash all cartels that have been frustrating access to services by residents.

He has said that the national government has agreed to support equipping the first phase of the Sh6.2 billion Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital which is expected to create employment and bolster medical tourism.

Health is one of Governor Barasa’s six-point agenda for transforming the county.

The governor also announced that subsidised fertiliser and maize seed will be delivered in two weeks.

“Our fertiliser will be the cheapest as compared to the one being supplied by the national government and we urge our people to register so that they are able to plant in time,” he said.

He said that the county fertiliser will sell at Sh2, 900 per 50kg bag. The national government subsidised fertilizer goes for Sh3, 500 for the same quantity.