The Kenya National Union of Medical Laboratory Officers (KNUNMLO) has strongly opposed the newly proposed Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill.
According to the Public Health Principal Secretary, Mary Muthoni, in a statement on Sunday, June 8, the bill, which is open for public participation between June 23 to 27, will ensure that healthcare facilities across the country maintain the highest medical standards while offering services to patients.
If the bill sails through and becomes law, healthcare providers who are caught mismanaging patients will be subjected to fines of up to Ksh50 million and jail terms of up to 10 years.
Additionally, all private and government-owned facilities will be required to adhere to set standards, which include maintaining proper sanitation, lighting, ventilation, water and food safety, enforcing anti-abuse policies, and providing adequate patient nutrition.
The bill also proposes the erection of a Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Authority, which will take over the role of registering, licensing, and accrediting health facilities, overseeing their operations nationwide.
However, in a statement on Monday, June 17, the Union claims that the bill will compromise professional independence, patient safety, and the integrity of the country's healthcare system.
According to KNUMLO, the government aims to centralise the regulation of the country's healthcare system, which will, as a result, bring the country's healthcare under political and commercial control.
According to the medics, the bill is a plot by cartels to privately control the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which they claim has deepened their influence at the Ministry of Health.
"This Bill is not about reform—it is about control and money. It aims to hijack the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) and shift regulatory authority to politically connected actors for private gain," the statement read.
"Even more disturbing is the secrecy around this Bill. Its authors remain hidden while clearly working to dismantle professional regulation and remove public oversight," it added.
Additionally, the Union claimed that creating a new authority to take over the mandate of registering and licensing healthcare facilities would undermine the role of the Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS), which is currently responsible for accrediting health facilities in the country.
"We are deeply concerned about the growing influence of cartels in the Ministry of Health, who appear to have captured Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale," it stated.
