Detectives have stepped up efforts to shut down unlicensed health facilities that are operating illegally in the country. The crackdown is part of efforts to protect the public from receiving substandard medical care in the country.
In the latest crackdown, detectives from the DCI, through the Operation Support Unit (OSU), carried out a joint operation with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) in the Kawangware area of Dagoretti. The operation was meant to crackdown on unlicensed health facilities in the country.
During the operation, two people were arrested in the Congo Kawangware area after detectives established that a medical centre was operating illegally. The suspects were arrested after detectives established that the medical centre was operating outside the law. The centre was established to have failed to meet the minimum medical standards.
The suspects are expected to be charged with the offense of operating an unlicensed medical facility and practicing medicine without a license. The DCI has said that they will continue working with the KMPDC to crackdown on illegal medical facilities in the country. The public has also been asked to report cases of unqualified medical practitioners through the use of the anonymous reporting system.
The crackdown comes at a time when concerns over patient safety at these clinics are on the rise. In the same Kawangware area, a family is seeking justice after their relative, Amos Isoka, died days after undergoing a dental procedure at a clinic.
The family claims that the deceased had gone for a tooth extraction procedure but soon after started developing serious complications. He lost the power of speech and eating and eventually died a few days later. When his condition worsened and he returned to the clinic for assistance and a referral, the dentist sent him off despite having performed the procedure.
In another incident, the KMPDC is investigating a private clinic in Umoja II after a baby lost a finger during a routine medical procedure.
The child’s mother claims that the baby had been taken to the clinic for a series of injections in September. During one of the visits, the baby was injured, and the doctor stitched the finger without any form of anesthesia and then bandaged it.
When the family returned to the clinic five days later, the finger had started rotting, and the doctor told them that the child
Authorities say investigations into both cases are ongoing as they work to hold those responsible accountable and improve patient safety.