The government has been urged to test the quality of machines and equipment before dispatching them to various health facilities.
Speaking during the 2016 Mission for Essential Drugs and Supplies (MEDS) Day held in Eldoret on Wednesday, Eldoret Catholic Diocese Bishop, Cornelius Korir said quality must be prioritised through assurance and practical testing.
Bishop Korir who is also a member of MEDS Board of Trustees argued that a case in Busia where children almost became disabled might have been caused by fake machines.
“As MEDS we insist on quality of drugs and equipment,” he said, adding that cases in Busia and Marakwet where children were affected after being immunised was unfortunate.
He urged all citizens to be careful when purchasing drugs adding that use of counterfeits may lead to drug resistance.
The Bishop at the same time, challenged Pharmacy and Poisons Board to ensure that all pharmacists test their drugs before they are issued with licenses.
Bishop Korir also stated that a list of legally registered pharmacists should be availed to members of the public to protect them from being exploited by unscrupulous dealers.
“Most pharmacists are only interested in money instead of people’s health,” he noted.
The cleric further urged all county governments to equip at least one of their health facility for referral purposes to reduce movement of patients from one county to another.
The forum whose theme was “Health care financing in a devolved governance structure” was attended by several stakeholders in the health sector from Western, Nyanza and Rift Valley regions.
