The Pharmacy and Poisons Board has kicked off a national sensitisation campaign urging the public to buy medicine only from registered outlets.
The campaign is packaged as roadshows to be conducted countrywide.
It started in Nairobi’s slums where the PPB reached out to communities to report suspected unregistered chemists in their areas.
CEO Fred Siyoi said the board is planning to do joint inspection of health facilities with other regulatory authorities to ensure public access to quality medical products.
Siyoi warned illegal chemist owners of immediate prosecution and closure of business, adding that the PPB is involved in continuous inspection to weed out illegal premises and practitioners.
“I want to urge all Kenyans to report any suspected quack doctor or facilities operating illegally to minimize time used for these operations since Kenyans know such facilities and doctors very well,” he said.
The sensitization campaign has come in the wake of a series of PPB crackdowns on illegal pharmacies. Last month, more than 80 pharmacies in Kakamega, Bungoma Vihiga and Busia were shut down. About 40 people were arrested and charged.
Speaking at Gikomba market in Nairobi on Thursday, PPB inspector Elijah Mburu urged residents to collaborate with the board by providing information.
Mburu said all registered chemists have a unique code placed at a visible position upon entry into the facility. All practitioners are required to display their license.
“Before buying medicine, remember to check if the Health Safety Code is displayed. To verify, all you need is to send the unique code in the chemist to 21031 to get details on the location of the facility and name of the superintendent serving,” Mburu said.
Mburu told Nairobi residents to report chemists operating without the safety code by calling 0702475824 adding that the SMS code is toll-free.
“We want you to develop a culture of always ensuring that you get medicine from qualified personnel. Without the Health Safety Code displayed in a chemist, a patient cannot be sure the superintendent is known to PPB,” he said
Mburu further urged residents to always check for the expiry date of the medicine they purchase, reminding them that expired medicines can be harmful.
Siyoi urged Kenyans to report suspected adverse drug reactions (any unexpected or dangerous reaction to a drug) to help the board improve drugs surveillance.
“Always ensure that you finish all your drugs, return expired or poor medicine to the chemist and do not use expired drugs. You should also report to the nearest health facility if you get adverse drug reaction,” he said.
