Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Mary Muthoni, has reiterated the Ministry of Health’s commitment to ensuring continuous access to essential medical supplies.
Speaking at the flag-off of HIV and malaria commodities from the Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) to county health facilities, presided over by Cabinet Secretary for Health, Dr. Deborah Mlongo Barasa, PS Muthoni emphasized the importance of timely distribution to save lives and sustain essential services.
She commended MEDS for its partnership with the Ministry in warehousing and distributing critical medical supplies and acknowledged the U.S. Government’s role in reinstating this vital collaboration.
The recent funding pause had created significant gaps in the health system, affecting access to key supplies such as Nevirapine syrup, Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) and Viral Load (VL) testing kits, Artesunate for malaria, and GeneXpert cartridges for TB diagnosis. However, PS Muthoni assured that there is no crisis, and vulnerable populations—including mothers, children, and people living with HIV—will continue receiving essential care.
She urged county governments and faith-based facilities to ensure equitable distribution of these commodities without stockpiling in some facilities at the expense of others.“I call on all stakeholders to distribute these supplies transparently and efficiently. Every patient must get the care they deserve,” she emphasized.
On donor dependency, PS Muthoni stressed the need for Kenya to strengthen local healthcare financing to ensure sustainability.
