We will contribute to UHC with low-cost drugs, says Kemsa boss

Workers load drugs onto a truck at KEMSA's Embakasi warehouse, April 4, 2023. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Kenya Medical Supplies Agency acting CEO Andrew Mulwa says the agency has promised to plug into the president's Universal Health Care plans.

"Kemsa is ready to play its role in warehousing, distribution and procurement of medical products; guaranteeing quality and low cost, and eventually reducing the cost of health. Of the four pillars, Kemsa is strategically placed to tackle health products and technologies. We do bulk purchasing of medical products for public facilities," Dr Mulwa told The Standard in an interview.

He said KEMSA will do everything possible to bring down the cost of medicines and related products under its purview. The CEO said in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, they will devise ways to aggregate health products purchasing for the realisation of best prices.

KEMSA will also halt the importation of products currently manufactured by at least three Kenyan companies in line with a directive by the President.

"We will handle pharmaceutical drugs worth Sh5.4 billion. Of these, drugs costing Sh3 billion will be sourced from local manufacturers. In the same manner, of the Sh2.8 billion worth of non-pharmaceuticals that will be acquired, items worth Sh1.1 billion will be from local manufacturers," he added.

He said this will solve three things: turnaround time, importing drugs from China, India and Bangladesh takes at least three months. Sourcing from local manufacturers will bring it down to three weeks.

"Also, local manufacturing will lower prices of the products because they would not be subject to extra costs linked to procurement, transportation and related logistics," said Dr Mulwa.

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He said this will also ease pressure on the shilling, which is struggling against the dollar.

The CEO and a new board were appointed in May this year and said in five months, they have streamlined a few things that bogged down the agency.

The challenge of a bloated workforce has been addressed with numbers reducing from 962 to 562. In the next month, they will acquire enterprise resource planning system to digitise and automate all processes.

"This will improve transparency and eliminate chances of corrupt dealings," said Mulwa.

The agency currently supplies medicines to over 9,000 health facilities, which places it at an advantage in the industry. The government has committed Sh2 billion to recapitalise Kemsa.

"We are grateful for this because it will improve our order-fill rate from 60 per cent to over 80 per cent," said the CEO.