Governors have raised concern over the growing presence of private clinics and chemists surrounding county hospitals, linking them to irregularities in drug use and the conduct of some medical staff.

They now want senators to take a deeper look into why drugs are expiring on shelves in public hospitals while the same facilities continue to face accusations of drug shortages.

The matter came to light during a session before the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee on Thursday, where Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok was responding to audit queries about Longisa County Referral Hospital.

The audit flagged the presence of expired drugs at the facility.

“It is ironic that I am being accused of not having drugs in my facilities at the same time drugs are expiring. The two cannot agree,” Barchok told the committee.

He pointed to a possible link between the drug expiry and the presence of nearby private health outlets.

According to Barchok, some public health workers may be deliberately withholding drugs from patients to drive them toward privately owned clinics.

“Could it be a way of promoting business outside? As senators, you need to come up with a law to cure this problem,” he said.

The governor called for changes to the existing health laws, specifically to regulate how close private clinics and chemists can operate near public hospitals.

He believes that by limiting the proximity, the alleged diversion of patients could be addressed.

Barchok also expressed concern over the conduct of some medical personnel employed by the counties.

He claimed that some medics, particularly consultants, prioritize their private practices over their duties in public hospitals.

“The medical officers we hire have [private] clinics. They spend 90 percent of their time in their clinics. These are some of the things that we need to align,” Barchok said.

In addition to the request for legal amendments, Barchok asked senators to help deal with medical professionals who rarely show up at their public workstations yet receive substantial pay from county governments.

“We need the support of the Senate to see how we can address some of these issues. We could be addressing symptoms, yet we have a bigger underlying issue,” he added.

Senate Committee Chairperson Godfrey Osotsi acknowledged that the expiry of drugs in public hospitals is not an isolated incident.

He suggested that the Senate Health Committee should take up the matter and investigate further.