Medical suppliers has lost Sh114 million in sales owing to delays in clearing consignments at the inland container depot in Nairobi.
Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS), a regional drugs supplier to counties and national government as well as faith-based health facilities countrywide, has experienced stock outs affecting 201 items over the past seven months.
MEDS Managing Director Jane Masiga says the directive by the government to process imports at the inland container depot in Nairobi is causing pain for medical suppliers who are experiencing stock-outs due to delays in clearing consignments.
“Due to the congestion at the Nairobi inland depot, consignments are taking weeks to clear and that affects our stocking since we are not able to replenish in good time,” she said during the annual MEDS suppliers conference held at its head offices on Mombasa Road.
Masiga said the situation has also been complicated by delayed payments by health facilities under the National Health Insurance Fund.
“While NHIF, which is working to have all Kenyans covered, has become the biggest healthcare financing programme in the country, she said it had come with some challenges as a result of delays in reimbursements from NHIF, health facilities have in the recent past found it hard to cater for their contractual obligations of paying service providers and medicines suppliers,” she said.
The delays come at a time when demand for drugs and medical supplies is growing steadily as the government implements universal healthcare coverage programme through the NHIF.
Masiga said to mitigate the situation MEDS was negotiating with its suppliers to extend their credit period from between 30 and 60 days to 90 days to sustain supply.
The theme of the conference was, “Partnering with Manufacturers and Suppliers of Health Products and Technologies in Promoting Universal Health Coverage”.
