The Kenyan government has terminated its medical equipment leasing contracts with several vendors due to inadequacies found during a review by ministry officials across the 47 counties.
The contracts were terminated during a closed-door meeting held at Afya House on May 15 with Health Cabinet Secretary, Susan Nakhumicha and the Council of Governors (CoG) Health Committee.
Some of the equipment had not been installed or serviced in a long time, and some were not even available, according to Nakhumicha. The government will undertake a market assessment and develop criteria for future vendors.
With a single vendor having one week left before their contract lapses, the ministry has agreed with the vendors to stick around until July 31 to ensure a seamless rollover of the service.
The CoG Health Committee agreed that vendors would be paid until the set date to ensure citizens continue to receive the services.
According to Muthomi Njuki, the CoG Health Committee Chair, the report presented to the ministry showed that 27 counties reported gaps related to the machines. He noted that the lack of clarity regarding the future of the contracts with the ministry contributed to the uncertainty that clouded the vendors.
Despite the challenges in service delivery, Ahmed Abdullahi, the Vice Chair of the CoG Health Committee, noted that the equipment had elevated the situation in counties.
He said that the interest of the governors was to ensure a seamless handover process and that service delivery is not affected. The ministry called for a need for capacity building for biomedical engineers and other technical staff to ensure patients receive quality healthcare, as there is a glaring shortage of personnel who can handle medical equipment in counties.
