The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) yesterday deregistered 2,063 doctors and 212 dentists, a decision dismissed as inconsequential by the affected medics.
In a move it said was meant to enhance professionalism in the health sector, the board invoked Section 14 of the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act to enforce the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) among practitioners.
The law requires that no practitioner shall engage in private practice, or be employed by a private practitioner, unless they are licensed.
But the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) dismissed the move as unnecessary since it had listed some of the practitioners who have already attained the required qualifications.
Union Secretary General Ouma Oluga said the board had updated on its register only doctors from the Aga Khan Hospital because the institution pays for them.
Some of the surprise names on the list of the de-registered practitioners is Oluga himself and union chairman Samuel Oroko.
Former Director of Medical Services Jackson Kioko, who was recently appointed CEO of Kenya Health Professional Oversight Authority CEO, is also on the list. The board further axed the practitioners allegedly for failing to remit retention fee.
Doctors pay an annual mandatory retention fee of Sh4,000 to the board in order to regularise their practice in public and private health facilities.
Oluga said he was deregistered despite having paid the fees. “We think the board is broke, and it is trying to raise money from practitioners,” said Oluga.
“The law requires that medical and dental practitioners undergo a continuous professional training for development to ensure quality of service delivery. Unfortunately, the de-registered practitioners failed to score the low Continuous Professional Development points,” he said, while confirming the decision to deregister the practitioners.
In the regulations, every doctor is required to attain at least 50 points as the lowest mark. Yumbia also said the practitioners are supposed to apply online upon attaining the 50 points.
“This is an online programme system through which we developed regulations and any doctor who has not complied should forget practicing anywhere in this country,” he said.