Pharmaceutical firms stop importing drugs
Kenya faces an acute shortage of drugs after pharmaceutical companies stopped importing medicine and medical equipment on September 30, 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Pharmaceutical firms stop importing drugs
Kenya is staring at a health crisis after pharmaceutical companies stopped importing drugs following a tug-of-war between importers and the government.
The Kenya Pharmaceutical Distributors Association Chairman Kamamia Murichu said on Monday that the companies that import and distribute medicines and pharmaceutical products had stopped importing the medicines until the government rescinds a new directive that subjects the products to double inspections before they are allowed into the country.
MEDICAL PRODUCTS
“This thing is already affecting us. Over the weekend, we saw seven containers sent back to India because the consignment did not have the PVoC,” said Dr Murichu.
The new move means that the country could run out of drugs and other medical products. The industry supplies about 80 per cent of all imports into the country.
Although there are about 35 local drug manufacturers, imports meet the bulk of local demand. According to data from the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), the industry brought in pharmaceutical imports worth Sh72.8 billion USD $728 million last year.
