SPEECH BY CECS CHAIR DR. A.M. MULWA DURING USAID KEMSA MEDICAL COMMODITIES PROGRAM LAUNCH

USAID KEMSA MEDICAL COMMODITIES PROGRAM LAUNCH

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great honor for me to celebrate another US Government partnership with KEMSA whose benefit will have far reaching effect in the counties. Indeed, what we are witnessing today is not little achievement. KEMSA has come from far, and the road ahead looks promising. Let me say this, devolution presented unprecedented opportunities and challenges to the health sector that determined the effectiveness of overall service delivery. We had to design innovative models and interventions that suit the unique health sector needs in totality. However, despite of the numerous challenges, KEMSA has been able to blend in very well in serving the public health needs of the counties.

Therefore, this morning, it is well befitting that we take stock of KEMSA’s achievement starting with the adoption of a Logistics Information Management System(LMIS) – a web based self-service portal that allows customers to go online and make purchases and order from their health facilities. I’m proud to say that Makueni County was the first county to adopt the Logistics Information Management System which has brought about efficiency, eliminated errors and improved order turnaround time. While devolution has presented new challenges, I can confidently report that since the implementation of devolved healthcare systems we have witnessed significant progress in health care delivery systems in regards to commodities supply. Consumption data from KEMSA indicate that counties are now utilizing 40 – 50% more commodities per quarter from KEMSA compared to similar period before devolution of healthcare services.

The counties and KEMSA have established a good working relationship with other development partners to come up with solutions to address emerging issues. A commodities supply working group (consisting of members of CECs, KEMSA and MOH) has been created to streamline and enhance the efficiency in healthcare delivery in the counties. With the support of KEMSA, and other strategic partners, we have made great progress in advancing health care by coming up with practical solutions to improve service delivery. However, a lot more needs to be done.

As Kenya is going through a transformative phase with devolution and government’s strong commitment to provide Universal Health Coverage for all Kenyans, it is time to introspect how Kenya will put in place the building blocks required to sustain effective health care services delivery. Going forward, counties require to develop solid and functional budgetary allocations to ensure that they are able to replenish their medical commodities stocks. This will avert the issues of drug stock out in health facilities owing to unpaid debts thus ameliorating unnecessary interruption to health service delivery. Secondly, county governments must invest in revamping and equipping health facilities to ensure that critical health care services are available and affordable to all.

Finally and most importantly, we must ensure to staff the health facilities with qualified personnel and continuously encourage them to provide top notch services. As I conclude, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to KEMSA Board and Management, Ministry of Health and all the development partners for their support to the counties and request for the same into the future.

DR. A.M. MULWA
CHAIRMAN OF CECs Forum