BY RUTH MUSA

For decades, Kenyans have walked into pharmacies carrying one thing that cannot be bought or prescribed, trust.

A doctor writes a prescription, a pharmacist dispenses medicine and a patient heads home believing that recovery has already begun.

But in recent weeks, conversations around medicine safety have unsettled that confidence. Reports about substandard and falsified medical products, coupled with government crackdowns and heightened regulatory action, have sparked a question that many patients never expected to ask: Can I trust the medicine I have just bought?

While the Ministry of Health and the Pharmacy and Poisons Board have reassured the public that efforts are underway to strengthen regulation, improve surveillance and remove unsafe products from the market, the debate has exposed a challenge that goes beyond enforcement.

It is a crisis of confidence.

Health experts say that once patients lose trust in medicines, the consequences can be far-reaching. Some may delay treatment, stop taking prescribed drugs or seek alternative remedies, increasing the risk of worsening illness and poor health outcomes.

Dr. Kevin Ochieng says confidence is an invisible but essential part of treatment.

“A patient who believes in the treatment they are receiving is more likely to complete their medication and recover. Once fear replaces confidence, people begin making decisions that can affect their health.”

The government has intensified efforts to combat substandard and falsified medicines by strengthening coordination among regulatory agencies, increasing inspections, issuing public alerts and improving enforcement against unsafe medical products. Officials say these measures are designed to ensure that only safe, quality and effective medicines reach patients. Between 2021 and 2025, the PPB handled more than 1,400 product quality complaints, coordinated 99 product recalls and issued multiple public alerts on suspected falsified medicines.

Even so, for many ordinary Kenyans, statistics offer little comfort.

At pharmacies, hospital waiting bays and even in family conversations, medicine safety has become a subject of concern.

Jane Atieno  who regularly buys medication for her elderly mother, says the recent reports have changed the way she approaches every prescription.

“Before, I would simply collect the medicine and go home. Today, I find myself checking the packaging, asking questions and wondering whether what I have bought is exactly what the doctor intended.”

Pharmacists say the conversation should not discourage patients from seeking treatment but should instead encourage them to buy medicines only from licensed pharmacies and consult qualified healthcare professionals whenever they have concerns.

Beatrice Akinyi believes public awareness is just as important as government enforcement.

“The public should know that licensed pharmacies follow regulatory standards. Patients should ask questions whenever they are uncertain because healthcare works best when there is trust between the patient and the healthcare provider.”

The recent debate has also renewed calls for stronger collaboration among government agencies, healthcare professionals, pharmaceutical manufacturers and consumers. Health authorities say combating substandard and falsified medicines requires vigilance throughout the supply chain from manufacturing and importation to distribution and retail.

Consumer advocates argue that restoring public confidence will require consistent action, transparency and timely communication whenever safety concerns arise.

For many Kenyans, medicine is more than a product sitting on a pharmacy shelf.It represents hope,Hope that a fever will subside,Hope that an infection will clear and Hope that a parent, child or loved one will recover.

That is why the current national conversation matters. The challenge facing Kenya is not only to remove unsafe medicines from circulation but also to restore the confidence that every patient deserves when walking into a pharmacy.

Because in healthcare, trust is not an optional ingredient. It is part of the treatment itself.