Pharmacists to hold elections for new board

What you need to know:

  • Health CS says he has rejected the names forwarded to him by embattled PSK chairman Paul Mwaniki.
  • Dr Mwaniki has been at loggerheads with other members who accuse him of not involving them in selecting new members.

Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK) will this week hold elections to appoint new representatives to the Pharmacy and Poisons board.

The event that will take place in Mombasa during PSK’s annual conference comes at a time the society is on the spot over alleged overpricing of drugs in the country.

According to sources at PSK, members are disgruntled over the pricing of drugs in comparison with other countries such as Tanzania.

“For instance, a tablet Augmentin which goes at Sh150 in Kenya is being sold at Sh80 in Tanzania yet it comes from the same company. Why is it that it is expensive here? It is because of the cartels who control the industry,” a PSK member said. 

On Saturday, Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia said he had rejected the names forwarded to him by embattled PSK chairman Paul Mwaniki since they were not subjected to elective process as per the law.

Dr Mwaniki has been at loggerheads with other members who accuse him of not involving them in selecting new members.

“I insist the names we get must come from an elective process and must have regional balance. Members have said they will have an election on Thursday this week. Those are the names I will accept and gazette,” CS Macharia said.

Mr Macharia vowed to deal with cartels who have kept the prices of drugs in the country high yet they are cheaper in other countries.

He said some of the officials at PSK were acting as proxies with commercial interests to keep drug prices in the country high.

PARALLEL IMPORTATION

At the centre of the controversy that keeps the drug prices high is those opposed to parallel importation of medicine and pharmaceutical products into the country by Kenya Pharmaceutical Distribution Association (KPDA).

According to Mr Macharia, it is not illegal to have parallel importation of medicine as this keeps the price of medicine within reach of poor Kenyans.

A parallel import is defined as a non-counterfeit product shipped from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner.

On Saturday, Dr Mwaniki said the cartels were importing fake drugs so that he could shoulder the blame and be kicked out.

“My stand of ensuring genuine drugs come into the country is facing resistance from the cartels. The poisons board has not functional since January and therefore there is need for the minister to quickly constitute one,” Dr Mwaniki told Sunday Nation.

He further claimed his life was in danger for confronting the cartels and has since recorded the statement at the Kilimani Police Station.   

KPDA represents about 200 local pharmacists and importers of medicines whose quality and pricing is now being disputed by agents of multinational pharmacies in the country.

According to KPDA chairman Kamami Wa Murichu, the counterfeit agency has given KPDA a clean bill of health that drugs they bring to the country are cheaper.

PSK members have indicated that the annual conference in Mombasa on May 28 will be used as an opportunity to refurbish and redeem its image.