Health CS Aden Duale with his ministry and NQCL officials after the meeting. Photo/Courtesy
By MoH
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale yesterday hosted the Board of Management of the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL), led by Chairperson Dr. John Muturi, for an engagement focused on accelerating Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through quality-assured health commodities and technologies.
The discussions centred on strengthening NQCL’s institutional effectiveness to support Kenya’s progress toward attaining World Health Organization (WHO) Maturity Level 3 (ML3) for health product regulation.
Achieving this milestone will ensure Kenya meets global standards of quality, safety, and efficacy, reinforcing the country’s credibility in the regulation of health products and advancing the UHC agenda.
Duale underscored NQCL’s critical role in protecting public health by ensuring all medical products meet the required standards, an essential pillar of Kenya’s Taifa Care Model. The meeting also reviewed persistent institutional challenges and identified sustainable strategies to enhance performance and service delivery.
The CS reaffirmed the Government’s full commitment to supporting NQCL in fulfilling its mandate. He highlighted the importance of good governance, strategic coordination, performance measurement, and timely decision-making, calling for regular reviews to track progress and ensure measurable outcomes.
The CS urged the leadership to reduce laboratory turnaround time to the mandated 42 days which is a key step in rebuilding client trust and strengthening institutional credibility.
“We remain resolute in our mission to safeguard the health and lives of all Kenyans,” he affirmed.
The CS was accompanied by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards, Ms. Mary Muthoni, and Director-General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, among other senior Ministry officials.