The government through Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Council on Wednesday, July 19, announced a crackdown targeting 4,074 health facilities across the country.
According to a statement by the KMPDC, the crackdown was targeting hospitals practising or operating without the necessary licenses.
The council stated that the operation was being conducted with the help of the National Police Service (NPS)
“KMPDC will be taking strict actions against defaulting practitioners and health facilities.
“This includes halting accreditation with National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) and other insurance firms,” KMPDC warned.
In addition to the crackdown on non-compliant health facilities, the operation will also focus on identifying and addressing local practitioner licence defaulters and community oral health officers licence defaulters.
The KMPDC has categorized the hospitals that have defaulted on their licenses into several types, including medical clinics, dispensaries, health centres, nursing homes, dental clinics, and faith-based centre hospitals.
The council revealed that some hospitals especially in Nairobi had been operating for up to 20 years without a licence.
In what signals a worrying state of affairs for the country's health sector, KMPDC's list showed that 3,288 local practitioners in the country were operating without a valid licence.
Many of the flagged practitioners have been operating their health facilities for 10-15 years without renewing their practising licences.
Instructively, the number of defaulting oral health officers was lower than that of doctors, totalling 120. Many of them had only failed to renew their licenses for a year.
“To avoid any disruptions to your practice and ensure the continuation of your accreditation with NHIF and other insurance firms, we urge all defaulting practitioners and health facilities to immediately rectify the situation by obtaining the necessary licenses,” KMPDC stated.
To check on the hospitals that are not licensed to operate click www.kmpdc.go.ke/Registers/PHFDefaulters.php or visit www.kmpdc.go.ke/
