Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies - MEDS

Over the years, MEDS has developed key competencies in quantification, procurement, ware-housing, quality assurance and distribution of health related commodities. MEDS extends these competencies to the wider public through partnerships with a number of development partners that assist the Government of Kenya increase access to treatment through public, faith based and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) health facilities. Development partners have been able to leverage on the MEDS competencies key competencies in the following areas:

a) HIV/AIDS:

In Kenya, it is estimated that about 1.3 million people are living with HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS 2006) and approximately 263,000 are in urgent need of anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs). In this respect, MEDS has partnered with a number of international organizations to promote access to ARVs, which include:

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)

With funding from United States Aid for International Development (USAID) since 2004 MEDS has been PEPFAR’s prime partner in procurement, warehousing and distribution of ART in Kenya. These efforts have borne fruits and over 50% of patients antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) in Kenya are accessing them through MEDS supply chain.

Other partners using MEDS supply chain for ART include, among others, Clinton foundation; AIDS Relief through Catholic Relief Services (CRS); Columbia University; Centres for Disease Control (CDC).

Opportunistic Infections (OIs):

It is a known fact that HIV/AIDS patients succumb to opportunistic infections and not the HIV/AIDS disease per se. Not all HIV/AIDS patients require ARVs and initiation of ARVs can be delayed if the patients had access to OI drugs. In realization of this, MEDS in partnership DFID, Columbia University and USAID has been providing OI drugs to all PEPFAR supported treatment sites, with the latter also providing cotrimoxazole to TB & HIV/AIDS co-infected patients.

Other partners in this area:

Johnson & Johnson, an organization with robust social corporate responsibility program, which is spearheaded by their corporate giving fund, provides Miconazole Muco-Adhesive buccal tablets for oral thrush, as well as home based care kits for programmes in Kenya.
Pfizer Laboratories avails Fluconazole (Diflucan) preparations to HIV/AIDS patients in not-for-profit organizations, which MEDS has been distributing to faith based health facilities.

Laboratory commodities

Clinical Laboratories are critical to HIV/AIDS management and regular supplies of laboratory commodities are needed if ART programs are to succeed. In realization of this, the Swedish Embassy in partnership with MEDS availed equipment for testing viral load, test kits and laboratory consumables to 17 satellite laboratories. MEDS competencies in cold chain management can be exploited by other agencies willing to avail laboratory commodities.

b) Eye care

Provision of eye care products is one of the areas that is largely neglected in the country and where such items are available, they are very expensive. MEDS in partnership with CBM has been procuring, warehousing and distributing eye care products & equipment to several facilities specialising in eye care. As the project continues, the actual needs for the country are being identified and it is envisioned that in future a national quantification exercise leading to joint procurement ventures will be undertaken.

c) Provision of Essential medicines

The Ministry of Health Kenya with support from donor partners has been availing essential medicines to patients for free, more so to the resource poor regions. MEDS in support to the Ministry of Health initiatives has played a major role in these partnerships.
For four years, MEDS with funding from Swedish development cooperation agency (SIDA) and under the of Health Sector Reform Secretariat (HSRS), contributed a great deal by procuring, warehousing and distributing essential medicines, medical supplies and equipment to seven SIDA supported districts in Kenya. A total of 198 health facilities that include public district and sub-district hospitals and rural health facilities benefited from this project.

Other donors with whom MEDS has partnered with include Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and Belgium Technical Cooperation (BTC).

These partnerships would not have succeeded without the key roles played by the in-country partners; the faith based health facilities, NGOs, public health facilities and community based healthcare initiatives, among many others.
We continue to seek and embrace partnerships which will promote access to quality healthcare for all.

Partnership Contacts

MEDS is open and seeks for partnerships in the quest to increase access to high quality healthcare products to all.