11 October 2018—Nairobi—MedSource, a group purchasing organization dedicated to improving the availability and affordability of quality medicines and related supplies for the people of Kenya, launched today in Nairobi.
The first organization of its kind in Kenya, MedSource leverages the combined purchasing power of its members to negotiate favourable contract pricing from suppliers. It offers members access to a broad catalogue of quality products from prequalified distributors and manufacturers.
Membership is open to pharmacies of all sizes, hospitals and hospital groups, institutions and in-house clinics, dispensaries, clinical laboratories, and health networks. The company expects to direct an annual procurement of USD 25 million within its first five years. Based in Nairobi, it is a fully owned subsidiary of Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global nonprofit organization based in the United States.
Chief Pharmacist and Registrar of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Dr. Fred Siyoi welcomed the entry of MedSource into the Kenyan market, saying its presence will contribute to universal health care by reducing costs of medications.
“The government welcomes the important role played by all players, and MedSource’s role cannot be overemphasised,” Dr. Siyoi added.
MSH President and CEO Marian W. Wentworth observed that even as the world is making great strides at improving health outcomes, even in low-resource countries, access to medicines continues to be a challenge. “MedSource also represents an innovative way for MSH to create private-sector opportunities to help deliver quality health services and products to more people. We are happy to add this novel approach to the range of other work that we have done over the years and we hope this venture in Kenya is just the beginning of similar work throughout Africa,” she said.
MedSource’s Board Chairman and MSH’s Vice President for the Pharmaceuticals and Health Technologies Group Dr. Douglas Keene said the platform will be valuable to stakeholders such as pharmacies, hospitals/clinics, distributors, manufacturers, and especially patients. “Our main focus is—and will always be—to improve accessibility and availability of affordable, quality medicines and laboratory and health supplies for health care providers, and people from all walks of life,” he said.
Dr. Peter Kamunyo, MedSource’s CEO, said he hopes the organization will fill gaps in the availability and affordability of life-saving medicines, especially those used to manage non-communicable diseases. “Many families are struggling to continuously provide medication, especially to handle non-communicable diseases such as cancer, hypertension, and diabetes, among others. Through MedSource, health care providers will be able to procure the medicines their customers need at more affordable prices,” he said.
Other MedSource benefits include:
- Capacity building on business skills, pharmacy practices, and inventory
- Management, including market intelligence for informed business decisions
- Access to credit through approved financial partners
- Information technology solutions (data collections at the outlet and corporate office levels)
- Improved integration and traceability of transactions
About MedSource
MedSource is a for-profit group purchasing organization aimed at improving accessibility and availability of affordable, quality medications and lab and health supplies. These services will benefit both health care providers and the population at large, while strengthening the capacity of its members to improve management of their businesses. MedSource is a wholly owned subsidiary of Management Sciences for Health. For more information, visit www.medsource-group.com.
About Management Sciences for Health
Management Sciences for Health (MSH) works shoulder-to-shoulder with countries and communities to save lives and improve the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by building strong, resilient, sustainable health systems. Together, we seek to achieve universal health coverage—equitable, affordable access to high-quality health services for all who need them—even in fragile, post-crisis settings. For more than 45 years in 150 countries, MSH has partnered with governments, civil society, the private sector, and thousands of health workers on locally led solutions that expand access to medicines and services; improve quality of care; help prevent and control epidemics; support inspiring leadership and transparent governance; and foster informed, empowered, and healthier communities. For more information, visit www.msh.org.
