Pharmacy and Poisons Board

Launch of National Pharmacovigilance System in Kenya

The Department of Pharmacovigilance has been working actively over the last 4 years to develop a National system for Pharmacovigilance in Kenya. The hard work finally came out to the Kenyan public on the 9th of June 2009 when a formal launch of the Pharmacovigilance System in Kenya took place at the Panafric Hotel in Nairobi.

Top representatives from the Ministries of Medical Services and Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, including the Directors of both these Ministries graced the occasion. Present were also the Chief Pharmacist, Dr. K. C. Koskei, Deputy Registrar of the PPB Dr. F. M. Siyoi and members of the Board and its Secretariat.

Various stakeholders also attended the meeting - over 70 people drawn from the Division of Pharmacy, Ministry Headquarters, provincial directors of health, provincial nursing officers, provincial pharmacists public health programs representatives, mission facilities, professional societies, research institutions, World Health Organization-Country Office and academia across Kenya. 

The launch signified the commitment of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in availing safe, efficacious and quality medicines to all in the country. Prof. Ralph Edwards Director, the Uppsala Monitoring Centre sent a congratulatory note to the PPB and looked forward to welcoming Kenya as a full member of the International Drug Monitoring Program.

The Department of Pharmacovigilance has developed a detailed 5-day training program for all health workers in Kenya as a minimum standard training on Pharmacovigilance. This project is currently supported by the Management Sciences for Health-Strengthening Pharmaceutical Services (MSH-SPS). It is accompanied by specific trainer’s manuals and participant’s manuals that will be used to roll out Pharmacovigilance in Kenya. The course equips all healthcare workers across the healthcare delivery system with the necessary skills, knowledge and attitudes that will enable them effectively identify, assess, report and take appropriate action for ADRs. Ultimately the health care workers will be inspired to become observant professionals and active reporters in Pharmacovigilance to enhance safety of the Kenyan Population.

It is hoped that other countries, especially in Africa, may use these vast resources in training their teams on Pharmacovigilance, to complement those available from UMC/WHO Hq.

The following documents were officially launched at the event:

• Guidelines for the National Pharmacovigilance System in Kenya

• Suspected ADR Reporting Form

• Alert Card

• Poor Quality Medicinal Product Complaint Form

• Training and Implementation Guide

• Trainer’s manual

• Participant’s manual