Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has refuted claims that Nakuru Level Five Hospital distributed expired HIV/AIDS medication.
In a statement on Wednesday, March 5, Kihika clarified that the drugs in question had already expired before 2022 and were no longer in use due to an updated treatment protocol. She further explained that despite their expiry, the medications could not be discarded immediately as they were awaiting 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.
Mungai explained that the program drugs expired due to a change in the user protocol, which led to a halt in their distribution.
He further stated that the second batch of drugs was a donation from KEMSA, consisting of short-expiry medications meant for high-volume facilities.
However, despite the donation, these drugs were not included in the essential medicines supplied to Nakuru County Referral Hospital and were therefore 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.
A few hours after some media outlets reported that expired drugs worth Ksh1.8 million were found in the stores of Nakuru Level Five Hospital, a clarification has been issued.
The reports cited an audit from the 2023/2024 financial year, in which Auditor General Nancy Gathungu revealed that the hospital posed a risk to Kenyans’ lives by not properly disposing of expired medicines and medical equipment.
According to the findings, Gathungu went on to criticize 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.