The government has made known its decision to revoke licenses and suspend medical practitioners who participated in the “prophetic healing” campaign, which took place in the town of Nakuru and where patients with HIV/AIDS had been claimed to have been healed.
“The Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale addressing a crowd in Eldoret on Sunday, January 4, reported that the Health ministry ordered the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council to probe the evidence given by the doctors who testified at the crusade.”
Duale reiterated that for the professionals involved, scientific evidence must be provided in a way that would otherwise attract grave punitive measures in case of default, including revocation of practicing licenses.
“Any claims of miraculous healing, especially by licensed practitioners in the medical field, must be able to back them up by scientifically proven evidence,” said Duale. “Or else, we shall have no choice but to cancel their licenses.”
In recognizing the importance of faith or spirituality in the lives of Kenyan citizens, Duale pointed out that issues relating to health or life cannot be detached from medical ethics and scientific practice.
He cautioned that the ministry would not tolerate the abuse of the medical authority for the purpose of deceiving the public and putting patients’ lives at stake.
These comments from the CS come after the KMPDC warned the public about the claims of faith healing made during the Nakuru crusade without being validated, which pose health dangers to the public.
The figure at the centre of the storm is a cleric who happens to be a medical practitioner as well, who during the crusade said that he had, through the crusade, healed those suffering from HIV/AIDS, the blind, and the physically disabled.
Following the occurrence, there have been appeals by some political leaders for a closer examination of some religious groups that appear to have cult-like behavior in order to avert a repeat of the Shakahola tragedy which occurred in 2023.
KMPDC has now been mandated to conduct a thorough inquiry with regard to the conduct of the practitioners involved. The prophet and his ministry have shown enthusiasm for the inquiry process, asking for the immediate release of the results as soon as verification has been carried out.
The council has reiterated that chronic or life-threatening conditions diagnosed or declared cured using unproven claims made by health practitioners have the potential of misleading patients.
In spite of such inquiries, however, the church has insisted that such healings actually occurred and that over 30 patients had been healed completely of their HIV infections. In defense of such claims, the ministry asserts that they are proven scientifically.
“Indeed, the public has a right to know the truth in order for the fear of God to be restored at the pulpit,” the preacher asserted. While investigations are ongoing, health officials have been advising people to furthermore depend on medically accepted treatments and advice and to not forgo accepted treatment based on unconfirmed information.
