Kenyans are encouraged to report adverse drug reactions for the procedure

Health workers and the general public are encouraged to report any cases of adverse drug reactions for further action.

A drug reaction is an unwanted and unintended reaction to a drug.

The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) noted that despite improvements in reporting such reactions, a poor reporting culture among health care providers and the public continues to limit practice.

According to data compiled by the board, the National Pharmacovigilance Center received 1,244 reports of suspected Adverse Drug Reaction (SADR) between July 2023 and June 2024.

A total of 315 adverse event after injection reports (AEFIs), 562 Medication Error (ME) Reports and 94 Adverse Drug Reactions (PADR) were received from the public over time one.

“This was a slight decrease from the total number of reports received in the year 2022/2023 when the board conducted the Cohort Event Monitoring Study for the Covid-19 vaccine,” the board said in a statement.

“Furthermore, a total of 49 AEFIs and 13 serious SADRs were investigated and sent to expert committees for rationale analysis, where feedback was provided to stakeholders.”

The World Health Organization says that the unexpected and harmful effects of medicines are among the main causes of death in many countries.

It goes on to recognize that while no medicine is safe, careful assessment of the risks and benefits of medicines promotes patient safety.

“The results of any medical treatment cannot be predicted with absolute certainty. All medicines have benefits and potential for harm,” says the WHO.

It adds: “The risk of harm can be reduced by ensuring the quality of prescription drugs, and that they are medically appropriate, effective and safe for patient use.”

Preventing and detecting adverse effects from drugs is called pharmacovigilance.

The Board on Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, 2022, established the office of County Pharmacovigilance Focal Person.

The mandate is to help coordinate the implementation of the pharmacovigilance process and the post-market inspection process within the districts ultimately improving patient safety.

Vigilantes act as a key link between the Board and district governments on patient safety issues as well as manage and implement post-marketing surveillance activities within districts and institutions. their services.

They report and investigate adverse events, train and sensitize health care providers and the community, and communicate feedback from the Board to stakeholders within their districts.

Beginning in May 2023, each district through the Council of Governors (CoG), has appointed a District Vigilance Focal Person.

In addition, two national referral hospitals; Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and Moi Teaching and Transfer Hospital (MTRH), have also put people on high alert.

Consultation meetings were held on 16 May and 29 July to reflect on the implications of the nomination of conservatives and plan a way forward based on the feedback provided.

During the conference, key findings showed a notable improvement in the training of health care providers to identify, report and investigate adverse events.

A significant increase in the number of serious adverse event investigations conducted by District and Subcounty Health Management teams was also reported.