Bungoma receives drugs worth Sh58 million from Kemsa

Bungoma County has received drugs worth Sh58. 4 million from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa).

Speaking at Bungoma County referral hospital on Wednesday during the flagging of the drugs, Governor Ken Lusaka lauded Kemsa for the supply.

In the past, Lusaka said that health facilities in Bungoma County faced an acute drugs shortage affirming that Kemsa’s move will sort the shortage in 150 health facilities in the entire Bungoma.

“A good number of health facilities in Bungoma have faced an acute shortage of both health providers, drugs and equipment to offer quality services,” Lusaka said.

Lusaka, however, said that to solve the challenge in most of the health facilities in Bungoma, his administration started by promoting health workers who had stagnated in one position for a long time.

“Health docket is one of my priority areas in my manifesto that is why I’m determined to improve the health delivery in all the 150 health facilities in Bungoma,” he said.

To make health more efficient in Bungoma, Governor Lusaka said that he is scheduled to pick competent, hardworking and qualified chief officers to head the health and sanitation ministry.

“I have already spotted a competent person who will fit in the shoes of the chief officer and I will make the announcement anytime from now,” Lusaka noted.

He further pointed out that the drugs that Kemsa supplied included pharmaceuticals (Sh20m), non-pharmaceuticals (Sh32m) and laboratory reagents (Sh6.4m).

The county boss revealed that Bungoma owes Kemsa Sh75 million adding that the county has made commitments to pay Sh69 million to reduce the debt.

Lusaka said that he will work hand in hand with Kemsa and other health partners to ensure that Bungoma people are accessing quality health care services.

Lusaka sounded a warning to health care providers who might be tempted to steal medicines in the facilities saying if found, they carry their own cross.

“For those who have the appetite for drugs their days are numbered,” he said, adding that if any healthcare provider is found or reported to have stolen public drugs he will be sued and his job contract revoked.

Lusaka said a healthcare provider was spotted in CCTV cameras stealing medicines adding that stern action was taken against him.

“It is very unfortunate and immoral to steal medicines from health facilities yet those who do so are employed and are on the government’s payroll. I won’t allow such behaviour to happen again in Bungoma health facilities,” he said.

The governor affirmed that his administration is determined to complete the projects in the health ministry that were started by the former regime.

Among them are Bumula's 100-bed capacity and the 300-bed capacity at Bungoma County referral hospital.

Esther Somoire, the county support manager at Kemsa, asked the Bungoma county government to allocate more funds to the health docket as a way of ensuring that there are quality healthcare services.

She, however, said that Bungoma has slashed the health allocation from the last financial year.

“The last time I checked the health allocation in Bungoma County was at Sh250 million but this time round it’s at Sh150 million,” she said.

On his part, Bungoma County CECM for health and sanitation Dr Antony Wamalwa said that by Friday this week, all health facilities would have received medicines asking the health managers to use the drugs prudently until June.

Wamalwa also said that his health and sanitation department will send monetary and evaluation officers to all health facilities to ensure that drugs have been put to good use.