Pharmacists not happy with the new law!

Pharmacists say they will head to court to challenge contentious parts of a new law.

This is after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Health (Laws) Amendment Bill 2018 into law a few hours before the New Year.

The bill has elicited controversy as it seeks, among other measures, to remove the requirement for suppliers of medical products to Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) to have a pharmacy degree.

Elizabeth Ogaja,  Louis Machogu, Dr Sylvia Opanga

Instead, the law proposes that a pharmaceutical technology diploma holder also be allowed to supply medical products to Kemsa.

Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya president Louis Machogu says the society will ask the court to declare parts of the new law unconstitutional.

“We will be headed to court if these issues were not addressed,” he said.

He alleged that the law was being amended to suit the interests of a few individuals with an eye on the medical supply sector, estimated to be worth at least Sh100 billion annually.

“The business groups are purely focused on the supply of medical products to Kemsa and public health facilities, which is around Sh100 billion per year. This is at the expense of Kenyans who are among the 150 million patients in the East African region that access the products,” said Dr Machogu.

“If standards at community and supply chain are watered down by equating pharmacists who are degree holders with to pharmaceutical technologists who are diploma holders, we will go to court,” he said.

“We shall also sue if the process of supplying to Kemsa based on stringent quality demands is watered down by law,” Dr Machogu said.

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