Public health centres in Nakuru and Nyandarua counties are feeling the effects of the ongoing crisis at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority.
The counties are now grappling with a shortage of critical medical supplies.
Patients have been advised to buy missing critical medical supplies in chemists as the counties sought alternative sources.
It has emerged Kemsa could only afford to supply 60 per cent of the orders made by counties leading to a health crisis.
A senior Kemsa manager who declined to be named attributed the current challenges to the ongoing reforms undertaken by the state.
The officer said it was a countrywide problem and with time, operations will be streamlined and the facility stocked with all medical supplies.
“Since the scandal, many of our suppliers pulled out due to non-payment leading but this has been addressed,” the officer said.
Nakuru Health chief officer Daniel Wainaina said the Kemsa crisis had led to a shortage of critical supplies in the county.
He said in their last request for medical supplies, the authority had managed to deliver only 60 per cent of their request.
“We have started to feel the constraints caused by the low supply of medical supplies,” Wainaina said.
He, however, the public, extra measures had been taken to make sure the critical drugs and supplies were available.
“We are in discussion with Kemsa and they have assured us, they will improve their supplies in the coming weeks,” he said.
John Njenga Mungai of Nyandarua said Kemsa authority only managed to supply 50 per cent of their request.
He said the county had been forced to procure the missing medical supplies from private institutions which were expensive compared to Kemsa.
“It seems there is a problem in Kemsa,” he said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
