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Govt warns against self-medication, urges regular screening
29th December, 2025 07:54 AM
Public Health and Professional Standards Principal Secretary (PS) Mary Muthoni has cautioned the public against the widespread use of over-the-counter medicines.
Speaking on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at ACK Gichonjo Church in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, the PS warned that self-medication poses serious health risks.
“People should stop prescribing drugs for themselves. Any medicine bought from a chemist must be recommended by a qualified health professional after proper examination and laboratory tests,” Muthoni said.
Further, she warned that misuse of drugs is fuelling antimicrobial resistance.
“When you misuse medicine today, it may fail to work tomorrow when you are seriously ill. That is how antimicrobial resistance develops,” she noted.
Muthoni further linked over-the-counter drug abuse to late diagnosis of life-threatening diseases.
“Self-medication discourages people from going for screening and testing. This is why we are seeing many cancer cases being discovered when it is already too late,” she said.
She emphasised the importance of early detection, saying, “Regular and continuous screening saves lives. Diseases like cancer can be treated successfully if detected early.”
The PS also urged Kenyans to enrol and consistently contribute to the Social Health Insurance Fund, noting that health insurance is key to accessing timely and quality healthcare without financial strain.
Blue pill
This comes a week after Muthoni raised the alarm over the misuse and illegal sale of the so-called “blue pill”, warning that unsupervised consumption of the prescription medicine poses serious health risks, including heart attacks and strokes.
Speaking on December 22, 2025, the PS stated that the drug, medically known as sildenafil, is a prescription-only medicine and should not be sold over the counter.
She noted that sildenafil is approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension and must only be used under medical guidance.
“The ‘blue pill’ commonly refers to sildenafil, which is strictly a prescription-only medicine and not an over-the-counter product.”
“When taken with other medicines, especially nitrates or certain blood pressure and heart medicines, it can cause dangerous interactions and increase the risk of life-threatening events such as heart attack and stroke.”
