In Summary: Health CS Mutahi Kagwe says sweeping reforms at KEMSA will enhance service delivery to Kenyans.
Written By Ramadhan Kambi | |
The Kenya Medical Supply Authority (KEMSA) will be cleaned with a view to enhance efficiency, end corruption and create value for Kenyan’s money, the government has said.
Health cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe said that the reforms at Kemsa are cross-cutting adding that there is no step they are unwilling to take to ensure Kenyans get value for their money.
He spoke after officially launching a three-day retreat between the Ministry of Health and the Kenya editor’s guild at the Ocean beach resort, where he however dismissed claims that the Kemsa headquarters was being manned by the Kenya Defense Forces as Defense the court stopped it.
“Yes, it is true there is a clean-up process going on at KEMSA, called for by the public, media, has been called by both houses of parliament,” he said.
Mr Kagwe said the cleanup might mean that government reengineers KEMSA into a tight fighting unit rather than just have masses of people for efficiency purposes of having an effective running universal health care.
The CS said without an effective running KEMSA UHC will not work adding that already they have a new management structure and board which is efficient.
So far, he said they are infusing people from the Ministry of Health including the Acting Managing Director, Kabushi, and board led by Mary Mwadime.
Kagwe said two years ago the Ministry of health was described as a Mafia house but assured Kenyans that it has now become Afya house.
The CS said the move of meeting Editors to discuss the issues of UHC and how the Ministry can work effectively with the media was very important for achieving its success of it as it will soon be rolled out.
“We want to be with the editors so they ask questi9ons and we give them the information they want and at the same time let the officials know how the media works,” he said.
Kenya Editors Guild President Churchill Otieno said the currently Kenyans live in a time of pandemic and many people now value health importantly.
As editors, he said they felt as editors and jou7rnalists could not do their job continuously unless they understand what was being done to ensure what was being done in the sector.
“With the coming of this conversation will open the doors for editors to do their jobs and when editors do their job well the reporters are going to do their job. And when reporters and editors do their job Kenyans will get the best in terms of knowing what is happening in the health,” he said.
