Kemsa cuts off supply of drugs to Nakuru over pending bill of Sh71 million

Public hospitals will not get drugs until the county government pays pending bills, the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority has said.

The authority's communication manager, Elizabeth Mwai, said the decision was made after the county failed to indicate how it would pay its debt even as officials requested for more medical supplies worth Sh96 million.

“Our agency is a revolving fund. That is why we have cut the supply of medical commodities to Nakuru until a debt of Sh71 million is cleared,” said Ms Mwai.

Hospitals in the county have been grappling with acute shortage of essential drugs and medical items for the past three months.

The statement from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) means that patients will continue to rely on private chemists.

The agency last supplied the county with essential drugs worth Sh51 million and paediatric formulations worth Sh5 million in June this year.

“The pending supply of their current request will only be fulfilled after they make payments. They have committed to clear the debt. Let it be cleared for smooth delivery,” said Mwai.

The manager added that Kemsa had contacted the county leadership on the debt but was told the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis) had failed.

“We have been in constant communication with the chief officer of health and they promised to pay. Last Friday we were told the Ifmis was down, hence the delayed payments."

According to a Kemsa official who requested anonymity, most counties were buying essential supplies such as drugs and medical items like gloves, cotton wool from private entities.

The official said sourcing for an alternative supplier seemed to be a way of avoiding clearing debts.