The Bomet government has asked its residents to be patient as it fixes the shortage of medicines in its health facilities.
Health executive Joseph Sitonik yesterday confirmed that all the health centres and dispensaries have gone without crucial drugs for about two months.
Addressing the press at his office, Sitonik blamed the budget stalemate that pitted the counties against the national government.
“We would like to take this earliest opportunity to apologise to our people who may have visited our health facilities and missed one or two drugs… It is not our problem and we would like them to know, we do not have money,” he said.
He said as a result of the government’s directive that all medicines should be sourced from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency, they have had to contend with it noting that “If they had allowed us to procure from other companies, we would have sorted the issue long ago".
“With Kemsa, unlike private companies, you have to procure and pay for the drugs before they supply you. That's the challenge we are facing at the moment.”
The county, he noted, spends Sh40 million quarterly in the procurement of medicine from Kemsa. He added that they have ordered another supply and are only waiting for the county assembly to conclude the budgetary issues before they pay for it.
He pointed out that the current supplies which have since been exhausted were procured in May.
The executive, however, said the prevailing situation should not be a cause for patients to worry asking them to continue visiting the health facilities as other services are being offered.
“The biggest challenge is with the fast-moving drugs but such can be obtained in other facilities,” he stated.
Edited by R.Wamochie