A day after the Kenya Medical Association (KMA), the Kenya Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society (KOGS), and the World Medical Association (WMA) rejected the practice of clinical officers conducting obstetric and gynaecologic surgeries in Kenya, the Global Association of Clinical Officers and Physicians Associates (GACOPA) has now clapped back.
In the past two days, the question of who should make an incision on expectant mothers in the operating room has arisen between doctors and clinical officers.
In a joint press statement dated February 20, KMA and KOGS claimed that clinical officers lacked the required surgical training accreditation and oversight to conduct these procedures, and allowing them to perform such procedures breaches global patient safety guidelines, medical practices, and established legal frameworks.
According to the two organisations, allowing clinical officers to perform the surgeries without supervision may put the lives of both the mother and newborn at risk. WMA, in a press statement on Friday, echoed these sentiments.
However, GACOPA's President Austin Otieno, in a press statement on the same day, dismissed these claims, terming them as a 'lie.'
According to Otieno, the move to condemn clinical officers from conducting these surgeries is aimed at maintaining a monopoly over healthcare.
Otieno asserted that clinical officers not only undergo years of rigorous training on medical and surgical training but also perform procedures with lower complication rates compared to those performed by doctors.
According to GACOPA, clinical officers have been conducting surgeries for decades globally, and countries that embrace clinical officers in surgical roles save more lives.
"Studies published in the BMJ, The Lancet, and WHO reports confirm that surgeries performed by trained clinical officers have no higher complication rates than those performed by doctors. In fact, in rural areas, the only unsafe choice is denying patients access to a trained clinical officer," the statement read.
"WMA, KMA, and KOGS have taken it upon themselves to condemn thousands of mothers to unnecessary deaths, leave accident victims bleeding out on cold hospital floors, and cripple the very health systems they claim to defend," it added.
According to GACOPA, governments and ministries globally should be more focused on strengthening the role of clinical officers in achieving universal health coverage.
"In reality, WMA and its affiliates do not have enough doctors to serve the population. Instead of training more professionals, they waste time gatekeeping healthcare—while patients continue to suffer," it stated.
On Friday, the General Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), Gibore Maroah, branded the claims as a "baseless narrative," affirming the competence and extensive skills of clinical officers in reproductive health.
