Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has directed the Pharmacy and Poisons Board to crack the whip on chemists selling counterfeit drugs saying the commodities are a health risk to Kenyans. https://bit.ly/3QXkUk7
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00:00 and other goods. During the
00:04 implementation of pharmaceuticals and other goods, we face grave challenges due to disruption
00:10 of supply chains. With local manufacturing, we are closing such gaps and advancing towards
00:17 affordable health care. Furthermore, this is a major boost to the realization of universal
00:24 health care as per the Kenya Kwanzaa Plan. This step of Questacare Limited investing
00:32 in Kenya happens at a time the pharmaceutical industry is facing stiff competition from
00:38 counterfeit drugs. A joint research by the Kenya Medical Association, Kenya Association
00:45 of Pharmaceutical Industry, and the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya established that up to 30%
00:51 of medicines and drugs in the country are counterfeit. It is a syndicate estimated at
00:57 a close to 15 billion Kenya shillings. On a global scale, Africa accounts for up to
01:04 42% of fake drugs. The United Nations warns that over 500,000 deaths in Africa are linked
01:11 to substandard products. Such drugs offer false hope of recovery to patients. In some
01:18 cases, it may worsen the situation given that the veracity and efficacy of the components
01:24 are unverified. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, counterfeits, fake and falsified drugs are
01:32 a threat to our people. They are a threat to life. They are a threat to livelihoods.
01:38 Medical drugs are not meant to kill. Drugs are to improve the quality of life. That is
01:45 why we are encouraging local production to improve availability and affordability of
01:50 quality supplies. This is one of the ways of edging out bad people dealing with counterfeits.
01:58 While this is a long-term strategy, it is not enough. Our administration is implementing
02:04 the universal health coverage. We are promoting preventive health care to the grassroots at
02:10 the bottom of the pyramid. Our aim is to reduce the cost of treatment by half and ultimately
02:17 set our people free from disease as was defined upon our independence in 1963.
02:26 The Pharmacy and Poisons Board must intensify the crackdown on manufacturing and trafficking
02:31 of counterfeit pharmaceuticals across the country. We have allocated resources to facilitate
02:37 the regulatory body in delivering on this assignment. Our security agencies are at your
02:43 disposal. A multi-agency approach is key in complementing your efforts in physical and
02:49 online surveillance. Drugs must not kill our people alongside diseases. Already, the disease
02:56 burden is consuming a lot of our resources, impairing development. Further, the surveillance
03:02 is not an event. It should not happen today because we have raised concerns. It must be
03:09 a continuous exercise, not only for the Pharmacy and Poisons Board, it is the responsibility
03:15 of everybody. That is why we also need to raise public awareness on how to check the
03:21 genuineness of drugs via smartphones.
03:24 While crackdowns are crucial in nabbing dealers of such fake drugs, we ask the security and
03:30 other involved agencies to put the health of the country first by ensuring that those
03:34 arrested are severely punished. Officers aiding the Syndicate are not part of us. They belong
03:40 to jail.
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