The Ministry of Health has dismissed reports of substandard HIV testing kits in the country.
PS Medical Services Harry Kimtai in a statement on Tuesday said the claims of poor HIV testing services said the claims are likely to claw back the gains made by the country in HIV response.
"The Ministry of Health is deeply concerned about claims of poor quality of HIV testing services in the country. It is important that the gains made in the response to HIV are not rolled back due to misinformation," Kimtai said.
According to Kimtai, the ministry has a robust pharmacovigilance system under the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PBB) which monitors and safeguards the quality of HIV testing in Kenya.
"The MoH's routine capacity-building efforts, the independent pharmacovigilance systems under the PBB, and the robust quality assurance proficiency testing routinely monitor and safeguard the quality of HIV testing in Kenya," he said.
"The WHO also supports member countries in global pharmacovigilance. There is no advisory on poor quality of HIV testing in Kenya," he added.
This is after the ministry was sued by a Chinese firm following accusations of alleged substandard HIV testing kits.
He said Kenya ranks among the first 10 countries to follow WHO's directive to adopt a three-test algorithm for HIV diagnosis in a bid to strengthen HIV diagnosis in the country.
"Following a stringent process for adopting WHO protocol to the country by a stakeholder task-force, Kenya is among the first 10 countries transitioning to the three test algorithm for HIV diagnosis," the PS said.
He said WHO highlights protocols where three different test kits are used in a sequential manner for HIV diagnosis.
"The three-test algorithm marks a pivotal advancement in diagnostic accuracy which is critical in Kenya's fight against HIV and AIDS, underscoring the ministry's dedication to the health and well-being of citizens," he added.
Kenya has the 7th largest HIV epidemic in the world, with an estimated 1.4 million people living with HIV.
End of 2023 statistics revealed 1,336,234 people were receiving treatment at 3752 facilities across the country for HIV.
Annually over eight million HIV tests are conducted across different populations in over 8,851 HIV testing facilities across the country.
He said this progress results from consistent policy guidance by the ministry to support and ensure accurate and safe HIV testing, comprehensive care and prevention services for all Kenyans.