Pharmacy and poisons Board (PPB) has uncovered pharmaceutical commodities theft syndicate which is believed to be the cause of shortages of medicine in Kajiado County’s public health facilities.
According to Dr Julius Kauai, PPB Senior Inspector of Drugs, through coordinated effort in partnership with the National Police Service an investigation was launched in Kajiado county following public outcry of shortages of commodities revealing network of individuals involved in the theft and unlawful distribution of essential drugs.
“This coordinated effort was carried out in partnership with the National Police Service and the illegal entities were found to be unlicensed, dispensing medications without necessary licenses and approvals from the board,” said Dr Kaluai adding that, “These medicines, intended for public use had been diverted illegally for commercial gain.”
PPB further noted that the stolen pharmaceuticals were recovered from unlicensed chemists, posing serious health risks to the public due to their unregulated handling and distribution.
“The crackdown on illicit drugs and unlicensed pharmaceuticals resulted in the arrest of 35 people, closure of 50 illegal pharmacies and seizure of 150 cartons of various health products and technologies.”
In order to ensure compliance and adherence purposes, the board has released a list of registered pharmaceutical outlets only accessible through their website calling for all registered pharmaceutical practitioners to update themselves with regulatory provisions governing prescriptions and dispensing of controlled medicines.
Furthermore, members of the public have been warned to be aware of chemists operating without names as it is a strong indicator of illegality as well as unregistered drugs which may not meet the board’s regulatory standards and could adversely affect health.
