79 people arrested for operating illegal chemists in Nyanza and Western.
By Dickson Odhiambo
March 22, 2018.
79 people arrested
for operating illegal chemists in Nyanza and Western.
A TOTAL of 79 people have been arrested following crackdown
for operating illegal chemists in Nyanza and Western Region.
The Pharmacy and Poisons Board has arrested the suspects in
a crackdown which is ongoing in the two regions.
Addressing the press in Kisumu today at the Western Kenya Regional
Laboratory offices, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Director in charge of Inspection
and Surveillance Jecinta Wasike said 36 people arrested are from Nyanza
region following on the crackdown on illegal pharmacies by the board.
She says the remaining 43 are from Western region where the
board is currently also carrying out the exercise, adding that the process is
ongoing.
Wasike says those arrested will be taken to court to be
charged with various counts ranging from operating chemists illegally among
other charges.
The Director says that the board is carrying the crackdown
to ensure that those premises selling drugs are duly registered.
“We must ensure that those people running retail chemists
are qualified and duly licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board,” she says.
She adds that the board has carried a total of 12 crackdowns
both in Nyanza and Western region comprising of two teams, adding that the
exercise begun on Monday this week and will end this Friday.
The director says that most of the affected premises are run
by absentee medical Superintendents.
“What we have found is that the premises have been licensed by the board but the professionals are not there at all and the other ones are outright illegal and are not licensed at all by the board,” she adds.
She urges the public to continue to share information with a
team of various inspectors so as to be able to net the illegal chemists.
She says all the licensed premises must have a health code
which is given by the board and must be present at the premises at all time,
adding that the clients should be able to verify the health code by sending an
SMS to 21031 so as to know the details about the chemist.
The director adds that all the expired drugs should be
disposed in accordance to the regulations and should not be sold.
Julius Kaluai, Senior Inspector of Drugs who is the head of
Nairobi region says Chemists should ensure that all the expired drugs are
quarantined before being properly disposed in accordance to the laid down rules
and regulations.
ENDS:
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment