- Gachagua said streamlining of Kemsa was among a raft of measures rolled out in the health sector in a bid to improve services as promised before taking office last year.
- He said no county can claim they have not received medical supplies from Kemsa.
Image: DPCS
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said operations at Kenya Medical Supplies Agency have been revamped and streamlined to make the distribution of medicine to health facilities efficient and effective.
Gachagua said the government focused on dealing with inefficiency and poor service delivery at the agency over the last year, adding that the efforts had been fruitful.
“We have streamlined the operations at Kemsa and as of today, medical supplies are available to the counties. No county can claim they have not received medical supplies from Kemsa,” he said.
The DP made the remarks at the 92nd Kenya Medical Training College graduation event held at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, on Thursday.
Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muriuki also graced the event.
Gachagua said streamlining of Kemsa was among a raft of measures rolled out in the health sector in a bid to improve services as promised before taking office last year.
He cited the employment of the 100, 000 community health promoters as another big achievement that would improve service delivery in the sector and boost the race towards Universal Health Coverage.
“There are several gains the government has achieved in the health sector in the last year. The Afya Nyumbani Programme is one of them and through it, 100, 000 community health promoters have been enlisted and equipped," the DP said.
"They are getting a stipend to encourage them to serve the people at level one intervention because primary healthcare is critical in our plan to achieve Universal Health Coverage."
Addressing the ceremony, where 22, 695 healthcare professionals graduated, the Deputy President applauded the KMTC for playing a leading role in producing a highly trained health workforce whose input he said was critical in sustaining the health of the people and in the achievement of UHC.
“In our race to deliver Universal Health Coverage under the Kenya Kwanza plan, KMTC is a great enabler,” he said.
Mr Gachagua also said they were investing in further training for the healthcare professionals to empower them with more skills for better service delivery.
“Through strategic investments and comprehensive training, we aim to strengthen these frontline workers, ensuring every Kenyan, regardless of location, receives the essential primary healthcare services they deserve,” he said.
Additionally, the DP said the training of medical professionals locally was highly regarded globally saying the developed countries were seeking their services.
“We have outstanding requests from the United Kingdom and Germany for healthcare providers,” he said.
Gachagua also said they will look into enhancing the Higher Education Loans Board Capitation for KMTC students to ensure they study without financial challenges.