Pharmaceutical Guide: Supporting fair prices for essential medicines
Transparency International, Kenya
“Development of a Pharmaceutical guide will provide a baseline for the pricing of medicines – and price predictability is necessary to limit consumer exploitation.” — Transparency International Kenya
96
volunteers reporting on the price of medicines
21
facilities tracked
September 2015 End date
October 2016
Issue
The price of medicines available to the general public varies wildly across Kenya, meaning for some communities access to safe and effective medicines is considerably easier than for others.
The lack of national pricing policy, which would regulate the price of medicines available over the counter, also contributes to poor supply systems in the public health system, with clinics and hospitals reporting regular stock-outs and inability to purchase essential supplies.
Project
Transparency International – Kenya (TI-Kenya) has constructed a pharmaceutical pricing reference guide to achieve a transparent and accountable pricing process for medicines in Kenya. This guide will contribute to formulating a long-term pricing policy by providing a baseline of costs and monitoring pricing trends.
Combined with increased transparency, the project aims to contribute to greater price predictability, which will limit consumer exploitation and ease access to medication for the most vulnerable members of society.
TI-Kenya has previously piloted the Mobile Drug Tracking System in three counties, providing access to data on pharmaceutical supplies and providing a platform for reporting corruption and malpractice.
Partner
Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1999 in Kenya with the aim of developing a transparent and corruption free society through good governance and social justice initiatives. TI-Kenya is one of the autonomous chapters of the global Transparency International movement that are all bound by a common vision of a corruption-free world.