Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has dismissed allegations that Nakuru Level Five Hospital exposed HIV/AIDS patients to expired drugs.
Kihika in a brief statement on Wednesday, March 5, clarified that the said drugs expired before 2022 and could no longer be prescribed due to a change in treatment protocol.
Despite their expiry, the governor revealed that the drugs could not be disposed of because they had to await an audit by the Global Fund, an international financing and partnership organization.
Kihika’s sentiments were backed by the Head of the Nakuru County Department for Health Services, Roselyn Mungai, who disclosed that the first set of the expired drugs consisted of program medicines donated by a development partner.
According to Mungai, the expiration of the program drugs was caused by a change in the user protocol, which necessitated the stoppage of their distribution.
Mungai further revealed that the second set of the drugs was a donation from KEMSA as short expiry drugs which were intended for high-volume facilities.
However, despite the donation, the drugs were not part of the essential medicines distributed to the Nakuru County Referral Hospital, and therefore they were never prescribed to patients.
“Once drugs expire, the hospital cannot dispose of them until a stringent audit and disposal process is completed,” Mungai explained.
“The Department of Health must be allowed to provide a formal response on these matters and all similar issues. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of accountability in our Department of Health Services,” he added.
The clarification comes hours after reports by a section of the media alleged that expired drugs valued at Ksh1.8 million were discovered in the stores of Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
The reports referenced an audit conducted during the 2023/2024 financial year, in which Auditor General Nancy Gathungu disclosed that the facility risked the lives of Kenyans by failing to dispose of expired medicines and medical equipment.
According to the findings, Gathungu went on to criticise the administration of Nakuru Level 5 Hospital for weak internal controls and a lack of proper structures to regulate the procurement of drugs at the facility.
