Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya President Paul Mwaniki throws into fire expired medicine during their destruction at Envirosafe Limited in EPZA Athi River, Machakos County on Thursday. [Photo|Maugo/hivisasa.com]
Some 65 tonnes of expired medicine have been destroyed in Machakos County.
The drugs were burnt at Envirosafe Limited in Athi River’s Export Processing Zone Authority in Mavoko on Thursday.
Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya President Paul Mwaniki said the consignments were seized from various public health facilities and outlets across the country.
“Seventy percent of the expired medicine we are destroying here today were seized from public health facilities while 30 percent from pharmaceutical outlets,” said Mwaniki.
Mwaniki addressed the press during the destruction exercise at Envirosafe Limited.
He said they partnered with Kenya Pharmaceuticals Association, The Pharmacy and Poisons Board and individual pharmacists to collect the medicine over a month’s period.
Mwaniki said most of the drugs were seized from over 20 county health facilities in Mombasa, Kwale, Kitui and Nairobi Counties.
“We did not know there are lots of expired drugs in homes and county facilities, we suspect there are over one metric tonnes of expired drugs in the country,” said Mwaniki.
He said the destroyed medicine were collected from only a few counties and within one month period reason they could be more tones if exercise is conducted in more counties over a longer period of time.
“That’s a concern to us, expired drugs need to be destroyed as fast as possible,” added he.
Mwaniki said county governments do not have policies and capacities of disposing expired medicine safely.
He said they will work with the Council of Governors to come up with effective policies of destroying drugs within respective counties.
“For medicine to be destroyed, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board has to inspect and approve the firm that intends to effect the destruction,” said Mwaniki.
Mwaniki said the confiscated drugs had been accumulated by the county facilities for more than seven years.
He said all drug dealers must be registered by Pharmaceuticals Society of Kenya to ensure professional and ethical operations in the medical industry.
“Expired drugs are never recycled,” added Mwaniki.
Kenya Pharmaceutical Association deputy secretary Betty Mulinge said it is costly to confiscate and destroy expired medicine independently.
“Most of us work in private sectors, it is costly to destroy the drugs independently,” said Mulinge.
She cautioned the public against keeping expired drugs in their homes.
Mulinge said county governments do not follow procedures on drugs donations.
“Since counties procure drugs independently, COG should coordinate to know when drugs in their health facilities will be expiring to avoid wastage,” said Mulinge.
He said they will continue collecting expired drugs from people’s houses across the country throughout the year.