Nassir disputes claims of medicine shortage at Coast General Hospital

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has disputed claims that patients at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital (CGTRH) are unable to access drugs.

 The governor said Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale relied on incomplete data.

 Nassir said Duale erred when he stated that less than 45 per cent of patients treated at the facility receive medication.

 Duale said a system check by the Ministry of Health showed that many patients visiting CGTRH did not access drugs.

 He spoke on June 24 during the 46th Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya Annual Scientific Conference in Mombasa.

 "In Mombasa county, during that period, 235,564 unique patients were seen. Only 54,364 received drugs, representing a dispensing rate of 44.75 per cent," Duale said.

 "What happened to the rest? About 56 per cent. Is that not a cause for concern?"

 However, during the commissioning of the CGTRH Frontage Redevelopment Project on Tuesday, Nassir said the figures used by the CS covered data from 249 health facilities in the county, including both public and private institutions.

 He said the county manages only 52 of those facilities, all of which are public health institutions.

 "Our actual prescription fill rate is not as high as it should be, but we record more than 90 per cent, about 92 per cent to be precise," Nassir said.

 The governor announced that CGTRH will go fully digital from September to improve efficiency, curbing drug theft, reducing delays and addressing misconduct among health workers.

 He said the system would allow patients to know how long they are expected to wait and enable the county to monitor services within the hospital.

 "We don't want patients to visit our public hospitals because they have no other option. We want them to come because they want quality services," Nassir said.

 He said his administration was working to address challenges facing the referral hospital, including high electricity costs and the large number of patients seeking treatment there.

 Nassir said the digitisation contract had already been awarded and implementation had begun.

 "This will start with the CGTRH. It will be such that when one arrives, they will know exactly how long they need to wait, and all the activities will be monitored," he said.

 The system will track patient waiting times and consultation periods while reducing paperwork.

 It will also enable laboratory results to be transmitted digitally to prevent interference by brokers and conmen.

 "When this digitisation comes, we will be having a red alert that in some hospital, patients are not being taken good care of. The nurse on duty will then have to answer," Nassir said.

 "The doctor will then explain to us why they did not see a patient."

 The governor said cartels had taken advantage of CGTRH operations but added that reforms were gradually addressing the problem.

 "We need answers. Why would a patient who comes fourth in line get their results first, bypassing those who came first, second and third in line?" he asked.

 Nassir said all CGTRH staff would be required to wear standard uniforms within 30 days to make them easily identifiable and reduce cases of impersonation.

 He said the uniforms would have unique tags and digital identification PINs linked to individual staff members.

 "Everyone, from the CEO to the sweeper, will have to be in uniform. If you are not in uniform, we will consider you an imposter," he said.

 The governor said more hospitals would be built across the county to reduce pressure on CGTRH, while solar panels would be installed to help cut electricity costs.