The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) which regulates Pharmacy practice and training, now intends to scrap diploma training in pharmaceutical technologists.
This was revealed in a speech from the Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred Siyoi, read by the Deputy Director of Pharmacy Practice and Training Dr. Dominic Mutie during the 19th Annual Pharmaceutical Conference.
The conference was hosted by the Kenya Pharmaceutical Association.
According to the CEO the move is aimed at the global best practice of having a degree as the minimum entry into the Pharmacy profession..
Dr Siyoi said the decision to abolish the diploma training in pharmacy as provided for in the PPB Strategic Plan 2020-2025 resulted from extensive stakeholder consultations, SWOT analysis, market research and global bench marking.
“The PPB has recognized the strategic importance of upgrading the over 10,000 enrolled pharmaceutical technologists from their diploma to degree level in order to address the manpower shortages in Pharmacies,” said Dr Siyoi.
On August 14, 2021, the then Kenya National Union of Pharmaceutical Technologists secretary general Elias Mutuma said 11,000 pharmaceutical technologists and pharmacists in Kenya have diplomas.
He said they were not involved in the review and crafting of the board’s strategic plan and guidelines to phase out diplomas in pharmacy from 2020-25.
“They owe us an explanation. We have seen nurses, clinical officers and medical laboratory officers with diplomas and degrees,” he said.
Mutuma insisted that if it was to happen, it should be optional since not everybody has money to upgrade adding that poverty drives patients to seek medication at pharmacies because consultation fees in hospitals are high.
By Thuita Jaswant
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