Vihiga buy drugs worth 29M to defy shortage
Vihiga county has bought drugs worth Ksh. 29 million to be distributed to all health facilities in the region to counter drugs shortage cases that are always experienced in the county’s public hospitals.
The Chief Officer in charge of the county’s Health ministry Lucy Ijai said the first consignment of the drugs and other medical equipment’s arrived at the county referral hospital Tuesday 15th March.
“The drugs that gave been delivered are meant for the county referral hospital,” she explained.
Ijai was speaking to the Press at the hospital where she pointed out that another consignment of the drugs and other medical equipment’s will be delivered before the end of the week adding that the drugs and other facilities will be distributed to all health institutions in the five sub counties.
She pointed out that most of the drugs that were supplied were for malaria, high blood pressure, typhoid and other water borne diseases among others, noting that they procured the drugs as per the needs of the health centres.
“We have moved away from cases where drugs were being bought without putting into consideration needs of the health facilities,” she posed.
She said that stocks at the referral hospital had been exhausted forcing some patients to buy drugs from private chemists but the case has changed because of the drugs that arrived.
“I want to assure patients that the referral hospital and other health facilities in the sub counties are now adequately stocked with drugs,” she said.
She added: “Most patients should be send away because of unavailability of drugs, we will closely monitor to ensure that the drugs benefit patients”.
She revealed that the referral hospital has set up a blood bank saying that the move will avert patients from travelling to Kisumu or Kakamega to get blood from their banks urging residents to visit the facility and donate blood.
“We have been calling upon residents to donate blood and am happy that the response has been positive,” she added.
The Chief Officer however added that the hospital required more blood as it was receiving many patients who were in need of the commodity.
She noted that the oxygen gas plant that has been installed will soon start operating adding that the county will start construction of the 160 bed men’s ward to ease congestion in existing ones.
