The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has closed 75 health facilities in Narok County that had not met the threshold to operate.
Speaking to journalists after inspecting 255 facilities in the county, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) KMPDC Philip Ole Kamwaro said six other facilities have been partially closed while six people have been arrested for operating illegally.
Ole Kamwaro said the exercise carried out in conjunction with the county government of Narok was geared towards achieving high quality of services at the health facility as per the Universal Health Care guidelines.
He said they inspected the physical infrastructure and the personnel operating in the health facilities to ensure they comply with the standards laid down by KPMDC.
“Every person operating in a health facility should be registered and licensed by KMPDC. The premises too should have been registered and licensed,” he said.
Ole Kamwaro underscored the fact the board is ready to carry out continuous quality assurance and monitoring exercises to be sure that Kenyans are receiving quality health services as they deserve.
“Every premise should be always ready because we are coming to your premises any time. If we find unqualified people operating in the premises, then we will have no choice other than to close the premises and take legal actions,” he continued.
He called on members of the public to report suspicious medics and health facilities through sending an SMS to the code 20547 so that the authority can take action.
Ole Kamwaro said so far, the council has inspected over 3900 facilities in the country and closed 609 facilities that did not meet the threshold of operating.
Narok County Executive Committee Member in Charge of Health Services Antony Namunguk thanked KMPDC for carrying out the inspection exercise in the county to mop the mushrooming of illegal health facilities.
“Last week, I was summoned by the County Assembly to answer questions of a maternal death in a private hospital. The MCAs wanted to know if the health facility is registered and if those operating at the facility were qualified in their cadre,” he said.
Narok County Director of Health Services Dr. Francis Kiio said they will be on guard to ensure no one illegally operates a health facility in the county.
“We are working with the police to ensure those facilities closed will not be reopened before they meet the threshold of registration,” he said.
By Ann Salaton
