The country is staring at a possible health crisis should parliament pass three proposed amendments to the Kenya Drug Authority (KDA) Amendment Bill 2022 which is set for second reading.
While addressing the media in Nairobi, Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya president, Dr. Louis Machogu observed that the National Assembly Health Committee has been misled into endorsing the amendments by people with selfish interests.
Machogu further warned that if the amendments are approved without changes, the consumers may lose confidence on the quality of drugs produced in the country.
“While we are busy watering down our standards reducing our competitiveness, Tanzania has been actively elevating their standards positioning themselves as regional leader.” He warned.
In particular, Machogu voiced his disapproval of the amendment of clause 41(1) (b) of the Bill, allowing pharmaceutical technicians to handle all scheduled medicines and in turn “posing a serious risk to public safety due to indiscriminate access to medicines like narcotics”.
The pharmaceutical society is also up in arms over the proposed removal of veterinary products from the regulation of the KDA.
According to Machogu this will result in livestock in the country getting substandard medicines and jeopardise the country’s’ export of medicines and animal products.
They have also faulted proposal to grant technical representative practice licenses to undertrained technical assistants.
He also called upon president William Ruto to whip MPs into rejecting the three amendments stating that they pose a huge risk to the county’s health sector.
