The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has asked public hospitals to enhance how they record and order medicines, targeting reduced stock‑outs, expired supplies and unnecessary public spending.

The authority also stresses stronger stock‑management practices to avoid ordering beyond actual needs, which can lead to expiry and wasteful expenditure.

These recommendations were presented at a five‑day conference in Naivasha that ran from 11 to 15 October, bringing together KEMSA officials, the Ministry of Health, pharmacists from county and national referral hospitals and other health‑sector stakeholders.

KEMSA chief executive Dr Waqo Ejersa said the supply chain’s success should be measured by whether facilities receive the medicines needed for patient care, not by the volume of purchases.

He urged hospital managers to base orders on consumption records, current stock and anticipated demand, warning that poor planning fuels shortages, excess stock and avoidable costs.

Ejersa also recommended that pharmacists be involved in forecasting demand, managing inventories and allocating resources to improve decision‑making on medical supplies.

Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga echoed the call, noting that procuring medicines alone does not guarantee availability and stressing the need for planning based on real patient and facility needs.

Oluga highlighted the role of pharmacists in determining product requirements, quantities and delivery timing, using consumption data to guide those decisions.

He further called for improved forecasting, inventory control and accountability throughout the procurement‑distribution‑use cycle.