Lodwar – December 11, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The Department of Health and Sanitation has validated consumption and stock-on-hand data for essential health commodities in a move aimed at strengthening supply planning and preventing shortages in public health facilities.
The meeting led by the county government in partnership with VillageReach reviewed data collected from 52 sampled health facilities across the county.
The validation covered pharmaceuticals, non-pharmaceuticals, laboratory reagents, and medical equipment, alongside commodities used at the community level.
The Chief Officer for Medical Services, Dr Gilchrist Lokoel, said the engagement was critical in promoting evidence-based planning and improving the reliability of health supply systems.
“Accurate quantification data enables the county to plan better, optimise limited resources, and ensure uninterrupted availability of essential health products in our facilities,” Lokoel said.
He added that the validated data would be used to generate final estimates of the county’s essential health commodity requirements, including those for strategic health programmes, to inform procurement and budgeting decisions.
Dr George Nzioka, a VillageReach Senior Supply Chain Manager, described the exercise as a key step towards improving supply chain efficiency at the county level, noting that reliable data is essential for effective distribution.
“Data validation is a critical process in ensuring that health facilities receive the right commodities, in the right quantities, and at the right time,” the official said.
Representing the national Directorate of Health Products and Technologies, Dr Sospeter Gitonga acknowledged the advances made in using AI tools to quantify for health products.
“Turkana will now be referenced as one of the counties to have used the Ministry of Health’s quantification tool, as the activity is rolled out to other counties,” he said.
The next phase of the process will involve the development of a comprehensive quantification report, which will be submitted for ratification and shared with relevant stakeholders.
