Nassir vows to shut down pharmacies near public hospitals

Community health promoters listen attentively during their training on Social Health Authority [SHA] at Loyana hall in Mombasa. Jan. 6,2025.[Omondi Onyango,Standard]

All pharmacies operating next to public hospitals in Mombasa will lose their business permits as the county intensifies efforts against theft of medicine.

Yesterday, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said county hospitals were colluding with pharmacies to deny patients free medicine.

He said licenses of private pharmacies near public hospitals will not be renewed, saying most of them were behind the medicine crisis in public hospitals.

Nassir said patients were being forced by some public hospitals to buy medicine from the pharmacies. 

“It is criminal. We will not be renewing licenses of all the pharmacies selling drugs outside county hospitals,” Nassir told Coast General Teaching & Referral Hospital (CGTRH) Chief Executive Officer Dr Iqbal Khandwalla.

Nassir noted that nearly 10 pharmacies operate outside the CGTRH, the region’s largest referral hospital.

“I was at CGTRH and I saw there are almost 10 pharmacies outside, meaning their business is thriving in a public facility. If you go to Likoni Hospital, you will find a pharmacy there.  I have first-hand experience with these things. I went to Likoni hospital with a CEC and Mishi Mboko and the patients were told to go and buy drugs and when we checked at the cabinets there were drugs,” said Nassir.

The Governor spoke during the two-day induction training of 2,500 Community Health Promoters (CHPs).

Nassir said that with digitization, pharmacies must explain why they claim that there are no drugs when the system shows they are in stock.

“I have bought drugs worth Sh153 million, yet the funds are not picked. Taxpayers pay taxes and they cannot get the drugs. It is not right,” he said.

Last year, Nassir said that 1.6 million patients used county health facilities, but only 264,000 registered with the Social Health Authority (SHA).

He said the 2,500 patients will be trained for two days on how to register people in SHA.

“When you enter levels two and three, you will not pay if registered in SHA. You will get checked and attended to and given drugs without paying. However, those going to level four and five will pay something small with the help of the county,” said Nassir.

He said the county will conduct means testing to assess residents payment eligibility at hospitals under SHA.