Hospitals can now order medicines directly from KEMSA, PS Oluga says
Only about half of patients at lower-level public hospitals can get essential medicines, even though KEMSA fills 92 percent of orders, he said.
Based on reporting by Capital FM and The Standard.
A Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) building. File photo
Individual public hospitals can now order medical supplies directly from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) under a new legal framework, Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga said at a KEMSA conference for national and county referral hospitals in Naivasha.
Under the old model, county governments were the main buyers from KEMSA. Oluga said letting hospitals deal with the agency directly has reduced delays in getting supplies.
Oluga said that although KEMSA's order fill rate has reached 92 percent, "only 51 per cent of patients have access to essential medicines". The gap is widest at level four hospitals and below, he said, adding that reforms at KEMSA have cut the cost of some drugs by up to 7 percent.
KEMSA chief executive Dr Waqo Dulache said the agency is strengthening its supply chain and using technology to make stock levels more predictable and products easier to trace.
Oluga also alleged that some hospital pharmacists work with nearby chemists to divert drugs. He did not give details. The officials did not say when the new framework took effect.
