Hefty fines and long jail terms await foreign doctors who will be found working in Kenya illegally, an agency has warned.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), through a notice on Tuesday, June 10, said the stiff penalties will also be meted out against entities and individuals found to have hired fake medics or those without licenses.
KMPDC said that it is conducting inspections and audits, including the ongoing review of foreign medical practitioners, to enforce compliance. This is especially after a court ordered a major hospital to pay a couple millions in damages after a botched medical procedure. It is believed that the procedure was conducted by a foreign doctor who had been discredited in his home country but got employment at a reputable medical facility in Kenya.
To any person practising as a medical or dental practitioner without being duly registered and licensed, KMPDC warned that upon conviction, they face a fine of up to Ksh5 million for an imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
Also, any person in charge of a health institution who employs or engages an unregistered or unlicensed medical practitioner, dentist, or community oral health practitioner is said to have breached the law
Upon conviction, such an offence attracts a fine of up to Ksh10 million, an imprisonment for up to five years, or both.
As a regulator of health facilities, the Council noted that the set guidelines apply to both local and foreign medical practitioners.
Further, KMPDC listed employing or engaging any medical, dental, or community oral health practitioner, whether a Kenyan citizen or a foreign national, who is not registered and licensed by KMPDC as a serious offence.
While seemingly tightening the leash on foreign medics in the country, they urged the practitioners to adhere to the rules of engagement as stipulated in their licenses and permits. A stern message was also issued to the health facilities employing the foreigners.
“Foreign practitioners should only practice in the location indicated on their license. Health institutions should always inform KMPDC before engaging a foreign practitioner, regardless of their licensure status,” KMPDC noted.
Additionally, all foreign practitioners, including those undertaking postgraduate studies in the country, were required to register with KMPDC before engaging in work or studies for licensure assessment and issuance.
KMPDC further directed that any unregistered or unlicensed practitioner currently working in a health facility to be immediately reported to the Council.
