Officials from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board have arrested 15 quacks and closed 26 health facilities in Siaya and Kisumu counties.
Chief Executive Officer, MPDB, Daniel Yumbya said the facilities were closed for failing to meet the set standards by the board.
In Siaya, he said 53 health facilities were inspected, 14 closed by a team from the board with seven quack practitioners arrested.
Yumbya said 51 facilities were inspected, 12 closed with eight quacks arrested. The facilities inspected include clinics, hospitals, chemist and pharmacy.
He directed all healthcare providers to wear identification badge bearing their name, photo, registration number and speciality while attending to patients.
Yumbya said this will help the public and the board to verify and also during investigation whenever they are complaints.
Speaking during the inspection in Kisumu, he noted that the ongoing inspection has taken a new dimension.
“We have realised that health care givers particularly in private institution even in public facilities are not putting on identification badges so you don’t who is serving the patients,” Yumbya said.
He said they have published the list of doctors retained in the board’s register and introduced a short messages where you send SMS to get clarification of the health provider.
In charge of joint inspection team, Dr Andrew Were, said health workers were found working without certificates and required license.
Were told health facilities to ensure their staff have all the necessary licences and warned that institutions will be held liable in case of failure.
“Most hospitals in the region are using nurse aides, unqualified nurses who are not registered by nurse council,” he said.
Were said the board is committed to ensure quality, safe and ethical healthcare in the country. He said: “People must be attended to by qualified health practitioners and not quacks.”
He said they have found so many people masquerading as healthcare workers because they lack form of identification.
Were said the board is making progress to eradicate quacks in health sector. Last year, 1,100 were inspected with the board targeting 1,300 facilities to ensure compliance, this year.
The inspection team comprises of nursing council of Kenya, clinical officers’ council, dentist board, nutrition council, laboratory and radiation protection board among others.