Doctors fight counties’ bid to supply medicine

Doctors have opposed a proposal to allow governors to buy drugs for hospitals in their counties.

The medics have said counties lack capacity to procure drugs and medical equipment.

A stalemate on who should buy medicines for county hospitals has held back drugs worth billions of shillings now under the custody of Kenya Medical Supplies Authority. (READ: Sh8bn in medicine lies in store as row rages over supplier)

The doctors said they trusted Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) to do the job satisfactorily although they said the parastatal needed an overhaul.

A legal framework is required to allow the authority to supply the drugs to the hospitals. Presently, it is doing so in loose arrangements with the various health centres although that could easily attract legal suits.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union secretary-general Sultani Matendechero said on Sunday although Kemsa was not entirely reliable, it was better to have it supply the drugs than county governments. 

“Kemsa is one of those mismanaged government institutions. Its service delivery has been poor. They have not been supplying drugs on time and sometimes they bring drugs that are about to expire,” he said.

He went on: “But if we let county governments to buy drugs then we will be going from bad to worse. It is better to have the poor services of Kemsa than have governors who will be going for the cheapest drugs in the market risking the lives of their people.”  

Dr Matendechero said some doctors were already overseas buying cheap drugs that could pose a danger to patients.

Senators are current split on a Bill that seeks to enable Kemsa to sell drugs to counties. The Bill sponsored by Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki faced opposition from Cord Senators when he moved it for its Second Reading last week.

Minority Leader Moses Wetangula opposed the Bill saying it was a ploy to frustrate devolution.