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Crisis as Migori hospitals run out of medication

MIGORI COUNTY: A health crisis is looming in Migori County following shortage of drugs in some health facilities in the region.

Most notable is the situation at Awendo Sub-County Hospital where patients are forced to buy essential drugs and pay for ambulance services which were meant to be free according to the County’s health services charter.

On Monday, Awendo MP Jared Kopiyo and Central Sakwa Ward Representative Johnson Owiro joined the public in demanding for an explanation as to why there were no drugs in the healthcare facility.

The leaders had gone to the hospital to deliver a Sh800,000 cheque from CDF intended to ensure completion of construction of the facility’s administration block.

DRUGS SHORTAGE

The two were later joined by the county executive officer in charge of health, Iscar Oluoch, who downplayed the drugs shortage situation even after staff at the facility narrated how awful the situation is.

Oluoch came into the meeting an hour after the MP had already taken the hospital management staff to task asking them to explain why patients are being asked to buy medicine from private chemists at Awendo Town when they should be provided at the facility.

“Residents have been complaining every now and again that there are no drugs in the hospital and they are being referred to very specific private chemists in the nearby town where they would be advised to buy the drugs,” Kopiyo said.

The hospital’s acting medical superintendent, Dr Godfrey Omire, had told the two leaders and staff from the constituency office that this is happening because there is is an acute shortage of drugs in the facility.

“We have not received medicine from Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) since February and this has forced the facility to operate without even the most essential of drugs. In such a situation, we are left with no other option but to ask patients to buy their drugs from private chemists,” Dr Omire said.

However, after joining the meeting, Oluoch said the county has been having enough drugs and that the shortage has surfaced over the last one month.

UNPAID DEBTS

She incessantly refuted reports that some facilities have not received drugs for more than five months now.

These revelations by health facilities bring to the fore an issue that had been presented to the County’s Assembly that said Kemsa’s delay in delivering medicine to the county is due to unpaid debts.

The assembly was informed that there is a debt of more than Sh19 million owed to the supplier.

Questions now linger over why the County has opted to procure drugs from a local supplier instead of settling its issues with Kemsa.

“The procurement process through Kemdsa usually takes three to four weeks and this may inconvenience us,” Oluoch said.

She vowed to make things right and urged for patience as the issue is resolved.

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