Leased medical kits at counties not tested for safety

Economy

Leased medical kits at counties not tested for safety

Thursday, October 31, 2019 11:10

By JOHN MUTUA

Medical kits leased to devolved units for specialised healthcare are yet to be tested for safety four years since they were shipped into the country, a Senate committee heard Wednesday.

The Poisons and Pharmacy Board (PPB) director of evaluation Ahmed Mohammed told the Senate ad-hoc committee that it had not tested the kits due to a lack of experts and laboratories.

Mr Mohammed added that they only listed the kits — a process, which does not test the safety of equipment for use.

Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Act of 2012, the board should test locally manufactured or imported drugs and equipment to determine if they are safe for use in the country.

The kits have been in the counties since 2015 and there are fears on the safety of Kenyans seeking treatment for ailments like cancer and diabetes.

"Yes, we are supposed to do test the equipment but we have not done it. At the moment, the board does not have the experts,” he said.