(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Dec 13 (KUNA) -- The Ministry of Health is keen on providing medicine and supplies to the public and is coordinating efforts between the public and private sectors in this regard, said Minister Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi on Tuesday.
Speaking at Tuesday's National Assembly session, Minister Al-Awadhi addressed parliamentary concerns regarding the lack of medicine and supplies in the country, noting that the ministry was working diligently to monitor the situation and making sure that the strategic stockpile of medicine was adequate and sufficient.
He pointed out that resolve the predicament; it would be advisable to nationalize the production of medicine to bolster the country's medical supplies.
New mechanisms for importing medicine and signing contracts with companies and providers must be set in motion to ensure the rights of both suppliers and consumers, he noted.
He revealed that the decrease stockpile of certain medicines was not something new, adding that it occurred during the pandemic and post-pandemic.
The ministry will work on measures to prevent such happenings from reoccurring, he affirmed.
The ministry devised short and long-term plans and other state entities to tackle the situation, leading to the formation of a committee dedicated to this important issue.
The committee began work on providing necessary stockpiles of medicines and supplies within a period of six months, the minister said.
Revising contracts with importing companies and dealers was also tabled and studied by the committee to determine the cause of the problem, he pointed out, affirming that measures were taken to ensure that supplies were adequate and that the budget dedicated to purchasing medicine was not squandered.
Minister Al-Awadhi revealed that 117 health clinics, and four hospitals were digitally linked when it came to supplying medicine to prevent a decrease in the stockpile.
He went on to say that the capacity of medicine and medical supplies storages at clinics and hospitals were boosted to ensure that medicine was available.
The ministry is currently working on methods to determine where dispensed medicine and supplies were heading, he revealed.
He said that on November 22, the ministry and several state entities had set a committee to import medicine, battling the price rise of certain medicines and food supplement.
Al-Awadhi stressed that the ministry would continue to make sure that Kuwaitis and residents alike would be able to access their need of medicine and services for the upcoming period. (pickup previous)
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