By Hopkin Reporter
A month long investigation by the Hopkin Reporter revealed widespread neglect of duty by specialist doctor in Kitui County Referral Hospital leaving poor patients to suffer of largely treatable illnesses.
Even as doctors abscond duty and pocket taxpayers’ money every month, the legal line between dual public and private practice remains blurred. Nearly all specialist doctors in the county facility offer services to several private clinics in the town with health being a devolved function as per constitution.
The county facility, medical interns with little experience do ward rounds and even conduct clinics without the supervision of specialists putting the poor patients health in grave danger.
Instead of treating their patients at KCRH, they would rather go offer their crucial services at private facilities, where they make good money.At the private clinics, the doctors charge between Sh1,500 to Sh10,000 consultation fee per patient, typically attending to tens of clients per day.
A doctor attending to 20 patients per day, charging consultation fees of Sh2,000 for 25 days a month makes Sh1 million, excluding surgeries and other medical examination fees such as laboratory, radiology and X-ray services.
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMDPC), which is the regulator, stopped issuing licences to doctors for dual practice in 2019 when the sector proved difficult to regulate.Kenyan doctors are currently licensed to practice either as general practitioners (GP) or a specialist.
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