Nairobi — Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council says it has so closed 511 health facilities as it continues its nationwide inspection of private health facilities.
The Council Chief Executive Officer David Kariuki says most of the closed facilities lacked sufficient infrastructure such as space for essential departments like pharmacy, maternity and laboratory.
He decried that Nairobi had 376 facilities that were found to be operating irregularly. Mandera and Wajir followed with 58 and 77 facilities which were closed.
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KMPDC inspected 1,525 health facilities with also Nairobi leading then Mandera and Wajir following respectively.
"Most of the closed facilities lacked sufficient infrastructure such as space for essential departments like pharmacy, maternity and laboratory. Poor sanitation and environmental conditions like inadequate water supply, sanitation facilities or waste disposal system were noted," KMPDC Chief Executive Officer said.
The Council further downgraded 187 facilities in Wajir, 60 in Mandera and 23 in Nairobi.
Kariuki says the health facilities that were downgraded did not offer the full range of services that they were initially registered to provide.
This include lack of requisite medical supplies,equipment or nonfuctional equipment and also required personnel such as doctors,clinical officers,nurses,laboratory technicians and pharmacists.
"The countrywide inspection is ongoing and KMPDC calls on all health facilities to be available for the exercise. Any facility that shall not open during expected hours of operations shall be deemed to not be active be marked as closed and removed from the register," Kariuki said.
By Kipkorir Felix
