SPEECH BY DR. LOUIS S. MACHOGU, PSK PRESIDENT DURING THE DAY LONG MEETING WITH PSK BRANCH, SECTOR, COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN AT GRACIA GARDENS HOTEL, NAIROBI ON 24TH FEBRUARY, 2018

Esteemed Colleagues,

I have seen in to the future, and indeed the new thinking and deeds are at hand. This meeting is coming at the backdrop of over 20 meetings the NEC has had since we got elected in December 2017. We have met with several industry stakeholders and leadership to chart a way for the pharmaceutical sector into this future.

It has become evident that the pharmaceutical sector is indeed a sleeping giant and it is time we turned our diversity into fruits for the public, professionals and other stakeholders.

Esteemed Colleagues,

As we meet today, we have over 1,500 Dentists, Medical Officers and Pharmacists who are unemployed and not to mention the many more pharmaceutical technologists. Even as we empathise with our colleagues, this anomaly has no place in an industrialising nation like Kenya keen on achieving UHC for all, job creation & GDP of 12% by 2025.

The time is ripe for us to innovate around expanding the scope of pharmacy practice and return the pharmacist back to patient focused care.
It is also upon us to package and create awareness of the opportunities for our members to delve into the following areas:

It is also upon us to package and create awareness of the opportunities for our members to delve into the following areas:

Public | Academia | Trade, Commerce & Enterprise | Equipment | Hospital & Specialization | Policy & Legislation

Leadership & Admin | Manufacturing | Community | Clinical Research | Nutraceuticals | Herbal Medicine | Supply Chain

Medical Waste Management | Regulatory & Quality Assurance | Health & Wellness Coach | Systems & Processes

Statistics & Analytics | Pharmaco & Health Economics | Post Market Surveillance | e-Health | Drug Discovery | Sports Medicine

Green Cross | Epidemiology | Agrovet | Clinical Pharmacy | Human Resources for Pharmacy | Practice Standards

Esteemed Colleagues,

Even as we reflect on the paradox that is the status of our profession – a lack in the face of plenty, we must not fail to reflect on what is the biggest threat to pharmacy practice in Kenya today is. In our opinion after a thorough and careful reflection and consultation:

1. Professionals leasing our licences and not getting concerned for the ethics and social impact (are guys getting better, are they getting quality medicines that they need, at a good price and are they living better lives even with their ailments)

2. Due to this, the patient health seeking behaviour is one of chasing price over quality.

3. This has seen a rise to ‘cowboy’ investors and quacks invading and calling the shots as far as business and practice standards are concerned. This has lead to a degradation of standards as the ‘market’ is only keen of price and quality is of no consequence.  

4. Allow me to pick an example from the Bible. The book of Mathew Chapter 4: The Temptation of Christ, When the devil tells Jesus, “worship me and I’ll give you all the riches of this world.”
Jesus was extremely startled, “boss – you are not God, this world belongs to my father and not you. It is already mine (paraphrasing of course)”

5. Similarly, pharmacists and pharmaceutical technologists need to stand up and take the profession back to Best Practice, Public Interest and Professionalism. I welcome the regulators, KPA and PSK unity to champion this.

6. This profession is ours as professionals, let no quacks nor ‘cowboys’ convince us that this profession is theirs to give it to us. It’s ours. It’s us to accommodate them, welcome them to invest and we, to provide them with the requisite practice and human resources norms & standards to ensure Kenyans are not exploited.

Then, and only then will we unlock quality to achieve UHC for all.

Esteemed Colleagues,

It is now more than never the time for us to stand and fix the issue of access to quality & affordable healthcare that our fellow citizens need, being achieved for all during our lifetime (2025).  – this is thelong and short of what UHC is.

H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya has singled out UHC for all and [Pharmaceutical] manufacturing as being key towards us achieving Industrialisation status by 2025.

With the pharmaceutical care and products being the most widely used intervention in healthcare and the profession being first point of call for over 70% of Kenyans seeking their health and drug related needs, then we are squarely at the centre of Kenya achieving its aspirations by V2030.

To do this we must be innovative, bold and present when called upon to offer solutions and solve problems at whichever level we are in.

Esteemed Colleagues,

We as PSK are aligned and ready to partner with several stakeholders: Ministry of Health, Members of Press & Public, Counties, Health Professionals, Investors in Health, Payers, and Universities. Our deliverables:

1. To save lives & put an end to the catastrophe of the drug misuse and abuse epidemic.

2. To implement the MOHs Human Resources for Health (HRH) Norms & Standards towards quality UHC policy document. 3. To link MOHs CHV within the Kenya Community Health Strategy to Community (Primary Care) Pharmacy to achieve desired Clinical, Economic & Quality of Life for all outcomes.

4. To have an Expanded & Reimbusable Primary Pharmacy Care & Drug List package to make NHIF avail affordable & quality healthcare for all.

5. Community (Primary Care) Pharmacies to accelerate NHIF enrolment to realise healthcare for all by 2025.

6. Eliminating quacks, fraud and Counterfeits as threat to realising quality & economical healthcare for all by 2025.

7. Thriving local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector to drive access to quality and affordable medicines.

8. To deliver on the Job creation target for Healthcare Sector.

9. GDP contribution to get Kenya to 12% by 2020.

10. An integrated HMIS and e Health framework to boost research, supply chain, accountability and quality assurance of the UHC for all.

11. Re-engineer, Design & Launch the Green Cross Franchise of Pharmacies & Health Centres as PSKs Practice & Business Standards setting model to make UHC affordable, accessible and affordable. 

Esteemed colleagues,

As leaders of PSK you are here today to reflect on these and dream along with us and unpack the aspirations of members into a Vision for the sector for 2018 – 2020 and identify the priorities and concrete plan for 2018.

We will then work on the agreed direction to have a Pharmaceutical Sector Priority Agenda (Stimulus Plan) 2018 that we shall present to the NGC on the Saturday the 3rd of March 2018 (next Saturday) for adoption upon review.

This will then focus us around a unity of purpose, guiding and keeping us all accountable as we take on the opportunities the year will bring.

God bless the Pharmacy profession,
God Bless PSK
God Bless Us all.