Ethiopian government delegation has hinted at adopting Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) operation system to revive the country's health sector.
The delegation led by Ethiopia's Minister of Health Dereje Duguma engaged KEMSA and benchmarked their operations in a bid to replicate KAIZEN philosophies at the Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Supply Service (EPSS).
KEMSA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Terry Ramadhan noted that the operating system made the agency emerge among the best in sub-Saharan Africa.
While convincing the Ethiopian government to adopt the system, KEMSA's CEO maintained the philosophy had contributed to the authority's transparency and end-to-end visibility of health products and technologies.
"We have recently accelerated and enhanced the application of Kaizen philosophies in all our administrative, human capital management and supply chain operating touchpoints," Ramadhan stated.
"The Kaizen Philosophy is our preferred benchmark for continuous operating improvement goals in all our workstreams. We strive to guarantee quality standards through Kaizen, positioning KEMSA as a world-class health commodities supply-chain solutions provider," the CEO added.
On the other hand, Ethiopia's Minister of Health Dereje described KEMSA's operation as inspiring and vowed to pitch the idea to the country's leadership for consideration.
"The Ethiopian delegation to Kenya appreciates the good work put in by the KEMSA team on reforms and adoption of world-class standards. We recognize KEMSA as a KAIZEN best practice site. We will strive to maintain mutual support relations as we tap into the learning experiences we have borrowed here to ensure the successful rollout of Kaizen philosophies at our Ethiopian Pharmaceuticals Supply Service," Ethiopia's Health Minister explained.
Kenya adopted the system from the Japanese heritage of Kaizen Philosophy. It has been pivotal in enhancing the customer experience and repositioning the organization for growth.
Kaizen philosophy is anchored around identifying customers' interests and creating value. It also entails eliminating waste and encouraging people to follow the action as value is being made.
It also emphasises transparency and empowerment of people to ensure everyone in the team has goals and the system and tools to achieve them.
The agency adopted the system after a series of scandals that rocked the country during the pandemic. The scandal was in the procurement sector where KEMSA was accused of allocating tenders and making payments amounting to billions without products and service delivery.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered an inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds, with the office of the Directorate Criminal Investigation - DCI probing a few individuals accused of profiteering from the tender.
To tame further loss of public funds the government instituted changes which saw a chunk of staff laid off and the management restructured.
