Regina Mbindyo, MBA, BPharm

Email: mbindyor@who.int

Regina is the national advisor for medicines and health technologies in the WHO Country Office in Kenya Since 2005. She is a pharmacist with an MBA in strategic management. Her role targets access to essential medicines and the relevant WHO norms and standards in national systems. The work entails generating and articulating evidence for policy through pharmaceutical situation assessments, review, updating and monitoring of pharmaceutical policies, essential medicines list and clinical guidelines; as well as institutional strengthening of the national medicines regulatory system. Currently she is contributing to ongoing health sector reforms in the context of devolved governance for health in Kenya, articulating issues of policy, legislative and institutional frameworks and bringing a special focus on the role of healthcare regulation and sustainable institutional arrangements.

Regina coordinates the Health Policies and Systems Cluster within the WHO country team, and represents WHO on matters of Devolution and Accountability within the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) in Kenya. She also contributes to regional strategies for enhancing access to medicines, including the ongoing regulatory harmonization within the East African Community.

Prior to joining WHO, Regina had worked over 10 years in pharmaceutical systems in the public and faith‐based sectors.   Her role entailed the management of pharmaceutical procurement and supply systems, and capacity enhancement for pharmaceutical services in low income settings. She also contributed to in‐service training and curriculum development for middle‐level pharmaceutical personnel. She has also prior experience in scientific research on traditional medicines.

Recent publications of interest:

Mbindyo R, Okello D, Kimani F. Experience with supporting pharmaceutical policies and systems in Kenya: Progress, lessons and the role of WHO (WHO/EMP/MPC/2010.2). Geneva: World Health Organization, 2010.

Mbindyo R. Healthcare Regulation: Bridging a Fuzzy Gap in Health Systems Governance for Sustainable Development. Working paper, in peer‐review submission process.

Regina Mbindyo contributed to various national policies and assessment reports published by the Ministry of Health, including – Sessional Paper No 4 on the Kenya National Pharmaceutical Policy, Kenya Pharmaceutical Country Profile and national surveys on access to medicines.