State urged to forge closer links with private sector

School of Pharmacy Dean Prof Anastasia Guantai said they were planning an extensive curriculum review to tailor the school's programmes to local and international market demands and to maximize growth in the sector

Nairobi; Kenya: The Government has been urged to explore more public-private partnerships to ensure affordability of healthcare programmes through reduced cost of doing business. Pharmacists say the rising cost of production, if unchecked, will in the long run kill the viability of crucial sectors of the economy as well as reduce the reach of Kenyans to healthcare. Speaking during the re-launch of the University of Nairobi Pharmacy Alumni Chapter at a Nairobi hotel on Friday, the pharmacists, led by Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya President Paul Mwaniki, said growth in the health sector required policy support to help deliver Vision 2030. School of Pharmacy Dean Prof Anastasia Guantai said they were planning an extensive curriculum review to tailor the school's programmes to local and international market demands and to maximize growth in the sector. "We hope to set up seven centres of excellence besides e-learning and short courses. We will also re-engineer our programmes to cater for the working class as well," Guantai said. The alumni pledged to raise funds to support the ongoing construction of a Sh2 billion complex at the university, which will house the School of Pharmacy, which boasts a record 1,600 alumni since its establishment in 1974.