Nurses are unhappy with a provision that gives the Pharmacy and Poisons Board exclusive rights to regulate the distribution of some medicines.
The Kenya National Union of Nurses wants the Health ministry to scrap a right given to the board in January to regulate dietary supplements, registration and control of medical devices.
It will also regulate herbal medicine.
The union’s lawyer, Mr Alexander Jaoko, said it violated the rights of medical practitioners.
“It is against the laws that give that mandate to the Nursing Council of Kenya,” he said.
KENYAN STANDARDS
The law gives the nursing council powers to control and regulate manufacture, sales, importation and distribution of any nursing commodity as long as it conforms with Kenyan standards, he added.
Mr Jaoko said giving the pharmacy board an additional mandate to regulate entry of the drugs into the country was unlawful and would result in loss of revenue for the nursing council.
“The directive has also caused loss of employment for several employees of the nursing council stationed at entry points to monitor drug entries,” he said.
He argued that giving the board that role was extending its mandate since it is only allowed to regulate “drugs and poisons” not related to nursing commodities.
The case will be heard in court today.
From Nation news