More than 40 per cent of patients in Kenya don’t access medicines they need in hospitals, pharmacists have claimed, cautioning that this is likely to expose consumers to counterfeited products.

At the same time, the same patients encounter 30 per cent of instances where a qualified professional is lacking, further subjecting those seeking care services to be attended by quacks.

Overall, this situation, according to the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK), means patients go around to purchase unregulated drugs.

To curb this, or even to address it, the PSK President, Dr Louis Machogu, has suggested a number of steps pharmacists want the government to look into.

“We must move with urgency to address the following: “Fast-track the gazettement of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board – PPB – Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) Guidelines, including specialization and scheduling, which define levels of practice and form the foundation for person-centred, value-based pharmaceutical care,” he said this before Health Cabinet Secretary, Aden Duale during the 45th PSK Annual Scientific Conference in Mombasa, which ended on Friday, June 20, 2025.

Duale called on the pharmacists to partner with the government in addressing the existing gaps.

The pharmacists said it is key in ensuring that every Kenyan can access essential, quality pharmaceutical care, regardless of location or income.

Dr Machogu said pharmacists are also seeking government support for the Health Products and Technologies Regulatory Authority (HPTRA) Bill currently before the Senate.

The Bill seeks to modernise pharmacy regulation and establish the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) as a single, competent regulator for all health products and technologies—human and animal—aligned with the Health Act 2017 and the One Health agenda.

Reference laboratories

“We also welcome your Ministry’s interest in repositioning the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL) as a regional, independent reference laboratory—something the region needs and Kenya can offer leadership on,” he said.

Further, the pharmacists acknowledged the Ministry’s invitation to stakeholders for public participation in the Quality of Care Bill, 2025, noting its timeliness as a vital step toward person-centred and outcome-based care.

However, for this reform to succeed, Dr. Machogu stressed the need to be accompanied by the gazettment of the Good Pharmacy Practice Guideline.

“This is critical for defining levels of practice, medicine scheduling, and establishing pharmacy benefit packages,” he said.

While calling on pharmacists to support the government in addressing the existing gaps, Duale outlined five policy priorities that will define the next frontier in pharmacy and health products regulation.

He said the government is keen on promoting pharmaceutical products’ self-reliance, declaring that local manufacturing is not negotiable.

“It’s a national security priority, an economic stimulus, and a public health necessity, and thus, we are committed to making Kenya a regional pharmaceutical hub, and PSK’s leadership in investment promotion, policy design, and quality assurance processes is critical here,” he added.