The National Medical Stores (NMS) has been allocated a total of sh587.6b for buying drugs for all public hospitals in the country in the next financial year of 2023/2024.

NMS procures, stores and supplies drugs to Health Center IIs, Health Center IIIs, Health Center IVs, General Hospitals, and the 22 referral hospitals. 

The NMS budget for next year of sh587.6b is less than the budget of sh613b the entity was allocated in the 2022/2023 national budget.

The final allocation of sh587.6b is however, much bigger than the sh513b government had initially allocated the entity in the Budget Framework Paper (draft national budget) for the next financial year.

Legislators and civil society groups have been pushing for increased funding to NMS to address the perennial problem of drug stock-out in hospitals.

A “stock-out” is defined as having less stock of medicine available in public health facilities than required for patients.

While appearing before Parliament recently during the budgeting process, NMS General Manager Moses Kamabare appealed to Parliament to ensure they are allocated an extra sh298b to cushion the gap created by donors withdrawing support.

Kamabare said that since donors who have for long provided funding for essential medicines such as anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs), sexual reproductive products and TB drugs have notified them about their plan to withdraw funding, government must now take full charge

“Donors have announced that they will soon scale down on funding. we, therefore, have a funding gap for ARVs next year which may reduce by Sh31b,” he explained. 

He outlined the underfunded priorities to be treatment for HIV, malaria treatment, immunization supplies, laboratory commodities, emergency supplies, and many others.