Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir has pushed back against claims suggesting that public health facilities in the county are struggling with severe shortages of medicines, saying County Government facilities currently record a prescription fill rate of 92 per cent.

Speaking during the commissioning of the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital Frontage Redevelopment Project, Nassir said the figures recently cited by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale covered 239 health facilities in Mombasa, including both government and private facilities.

The Governor clarified that only 52 of the facilities captured in the data are operated by the County Government of Mombasa, arguing that it was therefore misleading to use the overall county-wide figures to assess the performance of the devolved government’s health facilities.

“Out of the 239 facilities being referred to, only 52 are County Government facilities. Our prescription fill rate in those facilities stands at 92 per cent,” Nassir said.

The Governor said his administration was prepared to be held accountable for the performance of facilities under its management but insisted that public debate must be based on accurate and properly disaggregated data.

Nassir maintained that the County Government has continued to invest in medicines, healthcare infrastructure and service delivery, with the 92 per cent prescription fill rate demonstrating progress in ensuring patients receive prescribed medicines at public health facilities.

His remarks came as he commissioned the redeveloped frontage of Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, a project undertaken through a partnership between the County Government of Mombasa, Jaffer Foundation and Bulkstream Ltd.

The Governor said his administration would continue working with development partners and the private sector to modernise healthcare infrastructure, improve patient experience and strengthen the quality of healthcare services available to Mombasa residents.

Nassir welcomed scrutiny of his administration’s healthcare record but cautioned against the use of aggregated statistics that fail to distinguish between County Government facilities and privately operated healthcare providers.