Senator Seeks Answers Over Sh1 Billion Worth of Expired Drugs at KEMSA
Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu has sought a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Health regarding the expiry of drugs and medical supplies worth approximately Sh1 billion at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
While requesting the statement, Nyutu described the matter as a national concern, noting that the expired stock included essential medicines and medical supplies used in the treatment of cancer, HIV/AIDS, malaria and other critical illnesses.
The move follows revelations in a forensic audit by the Auditor-General, which indicated that nearly Sh1 billion worth of donor-funded medicines, including cancer treatments, HIV/AIDS drugs and malaria supplies, expired in KEMSA warehouses even as public hospitals across the country experienced shortages of essential drugs.
The senator said the expiry of the commodities raises serious concerns over procurement planning, inventory management, stock monitoring, distribution systems and accountability within KEMSA and the Ministry of Health.
Nyutu wants the committee to provide details on the total value, type, quantity and expiry dates of the affected drugs and medical supplies, including the warehouses and health facilities where the stock was stored before expiring.
He has also sought an explanation on the factors that led to the accumulation and eventual expiry of the medicines, including possible failures in procurement planning, demand forecasting, stock monitoring, stock rotation, distribution and inter-agency coordination.
Further, the senator wants the committee to establish whether public health facilities experienced shortages of the same medicines while the expired stock remained undistributed and what action was taken by KEMSA and the Ministry of Health after receiving reports of shortages.
Nyutu has also called for the disclosure of officers, offices or institutions responsible for the procurement, storage, management and distribution of the affected medicines, as well as details of any administrative, disciplinary or legal action taken against those found culpable.
In addition, he wants the committee to outline measures being implemented by KEMSA and the Ministry of Health to strengthen inventory management, improve accountability, enhance timely distribution of medical commodities and prevent future wastage of essential medicines.
Meanwhile, Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua has sought a statement from the Senate Standing Committee on Health over persistent congestion and bed sharing in public health facilities across Kitui County.
Wambua noted that despite access to quality healthcare being a constitutional right, public hospitals in the county continue to face severe overcrowding, forcing some patients to share beds due to inadequate infrastructure, limited bed capacity and strained health services.
The senator has asked the committee to provide details on the current bed capacity, occupancy levels and patient-to-bed ratios in public health facilities across the county, as well as measures being taken to address overcrowding.
He also wants the committee to explain interventions being undertaken by the Ministry of Health and the County Government of Kitui to tackle the causes of persistent congestion and bed sharing in public hospitals.
Additionally, Wambua has sought information on measures put in place to strengthen infection prevention and control systems, particularly in the event of outbreaks of highly infectious and communicable diseases.
The lawmaker further wants details on plans by the Ministry of Health and the county government to expand health infrastructure, increase bed capacity and improve staffing levels to enhance the quality and safety of healthcare services.
The Senate Health Committee, chaired by Jackson Mandago, is also expected to provide information on resources allocated towards upgrading public health facilities in Kitui County, including the status and implementation timelines of projects aimed at improving patient care and reducing congestion.