Children’s malaria drugs run out

• Shortage raises alarm amid fears of disease outbreak following heavy rains in Kenya

A shortage of malaria drugs for children has hit hospitals as fears of an outbreak of the disease loom following heavy rains in various parts of the country.

The Kenya Medical Supplies Agency said stocks of the drugs were running low, but were in the process of being procured and could be delivered by the beginning of February.

Chief executive John Munyu said there will be no crisis because deliveries are going on. He said adult malarial drugs are already being supplied after a reported shortage in parts of the country.

He said only Western, Nyanza and South Rift provinces remained to be supplied with the drugs.

“Drugs for Western will go today, those for Nyanza next Wednesday and for South Rift on Friday next week. Maragua, Murang’a and Kirinya stocks were delivered on Wednesday,” Dr Munyu said.

Anti-retrovirals

Dr Munyu said cholera antibiotics were nearly exhausted due to last year’s outbreak, adding that the commonly used drug had been ordered in anticipation of fresh outbreaks.

He also assured HIV and Aids patients that there were adequate stocks of anti-retrovirals. There is need to purchase more triple regiments also used by a majority of the patients, he added.

Medical Services minister Anyang’ Nyong’o said the shortage of drugs was caused by inadequate funding by the Treasury.

He said the budget for the Health ministries was laughable when compared to that for the Ministry of Education.

But he said there is no cause for alarm.

“I do not envisage any crisis because the government is already adding stocks to what is already there in the health facilities. That is mere replenishment,” Prof Nyong’o said.

Meanwhile, a key drug manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, yesterday reduced the prices of two popular medicines for treatment of bacterial infections by between 30 and 40 per cent.