More than half of the health facilities inspected by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) in Nairobi were yesterday closed for failing to meet minimum standards of care.
158 of the 288 facilities inspected were closed, 25 were de-registered, while 105 were allowed to keep their existing status.
The majority of the closed health centers, as reported by KMPDC, were unregistered or run by unregistered practitioners.
Others lacked basic facilities such as pharmacies, maternity wings, and laboratories, while others were plagued with poor sanitation and unsafe disposal of waste.
“These conditions put patients at risk,” read a statement from the Council.
The inspections are a national campaign that is being conducted in conjunction with other regulators and counties.
The initiative is guided by the Inspections and Licensing Rules of 2022, which provide that all health facilities must be inspected recurrently and their licenses renewed every year.
The rules give KMPDC powers to suspend or revoke licenses of non-compliant facilities as a way of ensuring only safe, licensed, and well-equipped hospitals and clinics remain in operation.
To protect patients, KMPDC announced that the names of all closed facilities will be published in the Kenya Gazette.
The information has also been shared with county governments, the Social Health Authority, the Digital Health Authority, and other health regulators.
“Our primary duty is to protect patients,” the Council said. “We will continue to enforce these regulations firmly and fairly so that every Kenyan receives the quality healthcare they deserve.”