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The Ministry of Health has ordered four counties piloting the Universal Health Coverage programme to submit weekly reports on how medical supplies are being utilised.
Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has also asked the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) to deploy inspectors to Kisumu, Isiolo, Nyeri and Machakos to conduct surveillance.
The CS, in a statement, said the stringent precautions were being taken to avoid pilferage of medical supplies, which were being diverted to private hospitals hence leaving public health care facilities without drugs.
“The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority(Kemsa) and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board(PPB) to establish the source of GoK medicines found in private facilities and revoke licenses of private health care facilities stocking GOK medicines,” said CS Kariuki.
The PPB rapid response team, which will work with the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, were also ordered to revoke the licences of private health care facilities stocking Government medicines.
Ms Kariuki ordered Kemsa to ensure all Government drugs had barcodes to make them easier to identify if they fell into the wrong hands.
“The Ministry has supplied health products to 468 health facilities in the UHC program pilot counties,” said the CS.
In an update released last month on the progress so far of UHC, the Ministry confirmed that all public health facilities are receiving medical supplies worth Sh931 million from Kemsa, to last them for six months.
Health facilities have confirmed receiving over 90 per cent of the medicines they requested for, except a few facilities in the pilot counties which will be received their laboratory reagents by the end of January.
“The Ministry urges the County Governments to remain vigilant to ensure health products and devices are not diverted to private facilities,” said the CS.
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