NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 4 – The Ministry of Health has issued a 30-day ultimatum to all pharmaceutical companies to upload data on certified products or risk being delisted from the Social Health Authority (SHA) system.
Speaking during the launch of the Practice 360 mobile application for health professionals, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the government has now fully integrated the Pharmacy and Poisons Board into the SHA network.
This integration is now live in all SHA-contracted health facilities.
“All pharmaceutical companies must upload certified products data within 30 days. Failure to comply will result in deregistration and delisting from the SHA ecosystem,” said Duale.
The directive is part of the ministry’s broader crackdown on counterfeit and substandard drugs, with the new digital framework aimed at tightening quality control in the supply of medicines.
“This catalogue ensures only authorized, safe, and approved pharmaceutical products are administered to Kenyans, eliminating counterfeit and substandard drugs,” he added.
The online catalogue, which pharmaceutical firms are now required to populate, will serve as a centralized database for all approved medications.
Health workers will be able to cross-reference drugs in real-time through the Practice 360 app, helping reduce errors, improve transparency, and protect patient safety.
The Ministry of Health says the move will also boost accountability among drug manufacturers and suppliers, especially in light of recent concerns over the infiltration of unregulated medicines into the market.
The SHA platform, which was introduced to streamline service delivery under Kenya’s universal health coverage agenda replacing the defunct National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), is increasingly being integrated with digital tools and biometric systems to improve oversight and reduce fraud.
