The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) has responded to the audit reports on the state of county hospitals in the country.
The authority in a statement on Thursday dismissed the claims by the report the quality of drugs supplied by Kemsa is questionable, with cases of expired or substandard drugs being delivered.
The report by the County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee on audit findings for 2021-22 pointed out concerns regarding the quality of medical supplies distributed by Kemsa and issues of stockouts in county hospitals.
In the statement, Kemsa responded to these allegations, defending its operations while also pointing out the systemic problems.
"KEMSA has an ISO17025:2017-certified Quality Control Laboratory and rigorous testing protocols that guarantee the safety and efficacy of all HPTs before distribution," the statement read.
The CEO Waqo Ejersa noted the authority collaborates with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and laboratories prequalified by the World Health Organisation, which include MEDs, KEBs, and the National Quality Control Laboratory in ensuring the standards are kept in place.
On the question of quality, Kemsa referred to the adherence to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Recall Guidelines, which give a systematic process to be followed in case there is a need to deal with any inadequacies.
Further, the authority's Stock Holding Policy ensures that only medical commodities with a shelf life of at least 75 per cent are accepted into its warehouses.
Reacting to claims of stock-outs and bad forecasting, Kemsa attributed the problem to financial constraints occasioned by delayed payments from county governments.
The outstanding debt that counties owe Kemsa currently stands at Sh3 billion.
This financial strain disrupts the authority's revolving fund model, which relies on timely payments to restock supplies.
"Ordering patterns and poor budgeting by counties further distort our forecasting data, making it difficult to align supply with demand," Ejersa noted.
He said the authority uses the historical demand information from county health facilities for its forecasting and procurement procedures.
Kemsa noted that the solution to these financial and systemic challenges would eliminate stockouts and improve service delivery.
The authority called on counties to regularise their payment schedules and ensure sufficient allocation of health budgets to meet their procurement needs.
