Govt Orders Closure of 811 Private Clinics

The government on Wednesday, October 16 issued a directive for the closure of 811 private clinics and dispensaries in the country.

The Ministry of Health sent out a statement listing the private facilities facing closure adding that they had been found non-compliant to the minimum standards.

AG Director-General for Health Dr Wekesa Masasabi urged the County executive committee Members of Health to enforce the closure of the facilities.

Hoapital

"The Ministry of Health and the Regulatory Bodies under the coordination of the Kenya Health Professionals Oversight Authority (KHPOA) conducted a joint inspection for purposes of categorization/ classification of facilities from February 2019 to August 2019, in accordance with Section 25 (1) of the Health Act read together with the First schedule.

"This was based on the services offered, the health infrastructure and the health personnel minimum standards as per the legal notice No. 3 of the medical practitioners and Dentists Act (Cap253)" the statement read in part.

A majority of the facilities facing closure are situated in Nairobi, Kiambu, Meru Mombasa and Machakos counties.

The facilities can regain their licences upon applying for re-inspection having met the set minimum standards.

"The list of facilities did not meet the minimum standards for licensure and was therefore ordered to be closed, until such a time that they comply with the minimum standards and apply to the relevant regulatory bodies for reinspection," Masasabi stated in his notice.

A medical practitioner shed light on what could have a facility closed down upon inspection.

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Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, a senior doctor stated that facilities offering services beyond their capacity, for example, maternity units without a theatre, having poor infrastructure such as fewer beds than recommended could be some of the violations to the minimum standards.

"Hospitals without proper medical waste disposal, lack of mortuaries, lack of staff as some medical centres may have no doctors. the location for example if the centre is next to a dusty road, or situated on inaccessible floors of buildings," the official revealed.

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