The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) leadership has welcomed the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) national scale-up efforts. The Authority has also confirmed its organizational readiness to support the rollout of affordable healthcare.
Following the success of the UHC pilot project in 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday launched the national UHC Scale-Up, an essential delivery under the Government’s Big Four agenda. Within the national UHC Scale-up commitments, the Government has committed to ensuring 100% access to essential medicines for all Kenyans visiting public health centres. In the last financial year, KEMSA procured Health Products and Technologies (HPTs) worth Ksh. 35.84 billion, with about 11,500 health facilities drawing down 97% of the commodities.
Speaking while welcoming the national UHC scale-up, KEMSA Chairperson Mary Mwadime confirmed that the national pharmaceuticals supply Authority had actively participated in the UHC Pilot project. She added that the Authority is now ready to facilitate the scale-up to all 47 counties.
On his part, KEMSA Acting CEO John Kabuchi confirmed that the Authority had undertaken specific measures to support the national UHC delivery. According to Kabuchi, the measures include KEMSA policy alignment efforts with the draft UHC Policy 2020-2030 earlier developed to guide the realisation of the UHC.
“KEMSA’s role in the success of UHC is the provision of quality, accessible and affordable Health Products and Technologies sourced from local and international suppliers. The ongoing efforts to scale up the rollout of UHC are laudable and KEMSA will be at hand to play its facilitative role particularly the competitive sourcing, quality assurance, warehousing and the last mile delivery of essential medicines countrywide,” said Mr. Kabuchi.
All KEMSA business processes are fully automated through the Authority’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Logistics Management Information System (LMIS) and the KEMSA e-mobile service. These portals facilitate on-time stocks fulfilment to public health facilities countrywide.