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{
    "id": 1520779,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1520779/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 59,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "The Cabinet Secretary for Health",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB). However, if a medicine is selected for inclusion in the essential list but is not yet registered in the country, it may undergo an expedited registration process to facilitate timely access. Secondly, it must be listed in the current Kenya Essential Medicines List (KEML), 2023. Additionally, for these medicines to be available to the wider public, they need to be stocked by the Kenya Medical Supply Agency (KEMSA) as guided by Kenya Essential Medicine List 2023, Kenya Essential Medical Supply List 2023, and the Kenya Essential Diagnostic List 2023. Currently, KEMSA stocks a number of anti-epileptics or anti-convulsants such as lamotrigine tablets, valproic acid tablets and syrup, phenytoin tablets, phenobarbitone tablets and injections, midazolam injections, magnesium sulphate injections, levetiracetam injections, gabapentin tablets, diazepam injections and tablets. It is imperative that the counties draw these commodities from KEMSA to ensure a consistent supply to deserving patients. (b) With regards to which pharmaceutical manufacturers, suppliers and distributors are partnering with the Ministry of Health and KEMSA to ensure the availability of these medicines. The KEMSA aligns its procurement of health products with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, the Kenya Essential Medicine List 2023, Kenya Essential Medical Supplies list 2023 and the Kenya Essential Diagnostic list 2023. There are 42 registered local pharmaceuticals or medicine manufacturers who have good compliance with manufacturing practices. To enhance local manufacturing of medicines in the country, the Ministry of Health in 2020 conducted a capacity assessment of the manufacturers and the report of this assessment forms the basis of the development of a local manufacturing strategy for Kenya that seeks to incentivise innovation and production of health products. This will lead to an increase in the local production of medicine in the Kenya Essential Medicine List 2023 from the current 20 per cent to 50 per cent by 2026. Again, all public procurement entities including KEMSA are expected to comply with the preferential procurement master roll list published by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry that lists all products manufactured locally including medicine. The capacity assessment report guided the updating of the preferential procurement master roll No. 1 of 2024 to the current 223 medicines. Public procurement entities are expected to procure locally manufactured products from local manufacturers in order to promote the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya strategy in support of local industries and the domestic economy. KEMSA does a pooled procurement on behalf of all public health facilities thereby maximising economies of scale to yield better prices for its clients. However, KEMSA has had operational challenges including stockouts of essential health products and technology due to financial constraints as a result of inadequate budgetary allocation and huge debts from county governments and other clients to the tune of Kshs6.2 billion. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}