NAIROBI,Kenya Sep 18 – Taxpayers are set to lose Sh1 billion in medicines that have expired, with the Senate Health Committee demanding answers from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) over what it termed serious gaps in the management, inspection and disposal of pharmaceutical products.

📻 Breaking It Down

The committee raised the alarm after a Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) report showed that medicines worth approximately Sh1 billion had expired, prompting senators to question how such a large stock of essential drugs could go to waste.

The issue was raised during a meeting with PPB chief executive Dr Ahmed Mohamed on Thursday, as the committee chaired by Senator Jackson Mandago assessed the implementation of recommendations arising from its county oversight visits.

The Senate had earlier flagged the expiry of medicines and medical supplies worth about Sh1 billion, including commodities used in managing conditions such as cancer, HIV and malaria.

📌 What You Need to Know

Senators questioned whether weak inspection capacity, poor stock management, procurement decisions and delays in distribution and disposal were contributing to the losses.

Mohamed told the committee that the regulator had been seeking additional funding and staff to expand its inspection capacity, saying most of its regulatory work happens before products reach the inspection stage.

“Actually, 90 per cent of the regulatory work is behind the scenes. People mostly see the 10 per cent of inspection activity, which is also the face of the institution today to the public,”he stated.

He said the Board had requested funding to recruit about 120 additional staff, amid a shortage of inspectors.

“The issue is why we pushed this budget. We wanted to employ around 120 people. We are very much short of staff,”Mohammed explained.

Mohamed said the number of inspectors was inadequate compared with the growing number of health facilities requiring oversight.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya