The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) today launched its 3rd Strategic Plan 2020-2025 geared towards promoting and protecting public health by ensure medical products and technologies comply with acceptable standards.
The plan ushers in a new era for the PPB and positions the Board to be a leader in an interconnected and highly globalized industry that links pharmaceutical research, products, trade, personnel and services intricately.
Speaking today during the launch of the plan at the PPB offices, Health Ministry Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr. Rashid Aman said the strategic plan will not only assist the Board to curve a niche in delivering a wide spectrum of services to the highest standards within a robust governance and ethical framework but also assure the highest attainable standard of health for all Kenyans as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya, 2010.
Dr. Rashid notes that Post market surveillance in medicine is key because it enables the detection of Sub-standard and Falsified (SF) medicine and establishes the effects of storage condition on quality and stability of the products.
Going forward involves and includes helping groups update pharmaceutical laws and policies to support Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and training staff to shore up necessary Human Resources, the CAS said.
“PPB has previously carried out post marketing surveillance monitoring of medicines, specifically on anti-malarials, ARVs, ant TBs, antibiotics, reproductive health products among other group of medicines and this current Strategic Plan reaffirms the Board’s commitment to assuring the highest attainable standard of health for all Kenyans as a right,” he said.
Dr. Aman however noted that for effective implementation of the plan, the government will require to develop implementation plans and as a duty translate the plan into a tool of service to enable stakeholders become champions of medicine safety.
Dr. Kioko Jackson the Chairman of PPB said that medicine regulation has recently become more critical with the liberalization and globalization of trade in pharmaceuticals with falsified substandard medicines being a global health crisis
He made an assurance that the PPB will step up its commitment to fight the dangers posed by substandard, falsely labelled and falsified medical products through the established elaborate drug registration system that ensures that only safe, quality and efficacious products are registered.
He also consumers to buy medicines from PPB accredited pharmacies using the health safety code which is displayed in all registered pharmacies.
The PPB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Fred Siyoi said the strategic plan will require Ksh 12.5 billion for implementation in the next five years .
“We do not have the resources and we have as PPB to generate money to support the strategic plan. We are thus required to be raising Ksh 2.3 billion per year with the help of partners and stakeholders,Dr. Siyoi said.
