Board wants counties to help weed out fake pharmacists

A chemist in Meru. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board wants county governments to issue operating licenses to pharmacists working in hospitals within their jurisdictions so to curb the proliferation of quacks in the crucial health sector. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Kaluai said some practitioners open chemists and employ untrained people with no medical background.
  • Last week, the board shut down 83 illegal chemists and arrested the owners.
  • The board is investigating how a college in Meru purporting to train students on pharmacy to certificate level was registered.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) wants county governments to issue operating licenses to pharmacists working in hospitals within their jurisdictions so to curb the proliferation of quacks in the crucial health sector.

The board said those working in the hospitals will not be allowed to use their licenses to open private chemists.

Nairobi region’s PPB Senior Inspector of Drugs Julius Kaluai said the practitioners open chemists and employ untrained people with no medical background.

UNQUALIFIED PEOPLE

“This practice is frustrating efforts in the fight against quacks because medical personnel working in government health facilities have registered pharmacies where they employ unqualified people to dispense drugs,” Mr Kaluai said Monday in a telephone interview.

“We are working with county governments so that those working in government hospitals can be issued with their licenses which will only be used to practice but not to open pharmacies.

“Counties that are already issuing licenses to pharmacists are Tharaka-Nithi, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu, and we urge others to follow suit and help us rid the industry of these quacks,” he added.

He said the board is investigating how a college in Meru purporting to train students on pharmacy to certificate level was registered.

NO CERTIFICATE COURSE

“There is no certificate in pharmacy and our officers have done preliminary investigations where we discovered that the students have been coached on how to respond to anybody inquiring whether they are undertaking the course.

The officer said the students lie to investigators that they are undertaking a medical laboratory technician’s course but when they read their notes, the indication is that they are learning pharmacy.

Last week, the board shut down 83 illegal chemists and arrested the owners.

At least 23 outlets in lower eastern (Machakos, Makueni and Kitui counties) and another 23 in upper eastern areas of Meru, Tharaka-Nithi, Embu and Isiolo were closed.

In central Kenya, 37 pharmacies were closed and their owners arrested.