Residents of Homa Bay County have been urged to help in the fight against unlicensed pharmacies selling fake medicine.
The County Pharmacist Wycliffe Dunde said that the proliferation of unregistered clinics and fake medicine in the market was a threat to the health and wellbeing of the residents.
He said that the residents can report such unscrupulous dealers to the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and Pharmacy and Poisons Board.
Dunde said they have closed down some clinics in Homa Bay county following complaints that they are operating without licenses while some were found selling fake medicine.
Some patients of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Homa Bay county have raised concerns that there are fake drugs in the market.
“Homa Bay will succeed in the fight against fake medicines and unregistered clinics if residents agree to join the fight. Let them report the culprits to relevant authorities and government agencies,” Dunde said.
Speaking during a meeting with the Homa Bay County NCDs patients’ advocacy group in Homa Bay town over the weekend, the pharmacist urged residents to avoid seeking services from unregistered health facilities.
He said the Ministry of Health has started sensitizing residents to help fight the menace.
Dunde urged residents to demand licenses from the practitioners they suspect are illegally operating clinics.
He said crooks take advantage of the increasing number of NCD patients to sell fake drugs and operate illegal clinics in Homa Bay.
Fake drugs come in the form of falsified names and wrong packaging.
“The fight should be a community responsibility. Unscrupulous individuals should not be given room for operation,” he said.
During the meeting, Homa Bay Chief Officer for Public Health Evelyn Ododa said they are working to ensure seamless supply of drugs for patients.
“We’re committed as a government to ensure we provide quality health care for our people. We want people to attend public participation for some of these issues to be incorporated in the county budget,” Ododa said.
The NCDs advocacy group Chairman Edward Ochieng expressed concerns that fake drugs create more problems to their condition.
Ochieng called on the government to expedite investigations to already identified outlets for the safety of their members.
“Let the government look for ways of stopping fake drugs from getting into the market,” Ochieng said.
They also want the government to make NCD drugs affordable and locally available.
By Davis Langat
