Yet another disappointing tragedy involving the skills of a fake doctor has led to the report of a fatality in Siaya county.
A manhunt has been launched for a quack doctor by police in Gem Sub-county after he allegedly caused the death of a patient at Omindo trading center in Gem, Siaya County before disappearing.
The “doctor” identified as Mark Anthony Olocho, is reported to have administered an injection to 32-year-old Ngesa Odula who immediately collapsed, started convulsing and died.
Olocho is said to have excused himself from the clinic saying that he was going to get a vehicle to ferry the patient to the hospital, but never returned.
The deceased is reported to have sought medical attention at a nearby health center where he was tested and then sent to buy some drugs on Monday evening.
On missing the drugs, he decided to look for them at the suspect’s clinic only to be convinced by Olocho to take the injection as an alternative.
On the seriousness of the matter, how can Kenyans protect themselves from this inhuman crooks? Here is how to be a real doctor smart:
The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) introduced a short message service (SMS) code and a barcode aimed at reining in the quack menace that has plagued the country in recent times.
KMPDB chief executive Daniel Yumbwa said that the code, launched by Health cabinet secretary Sicily Kariuki, will enable Kenyans to get the details and qualifications of doctors.
“When one sends the name of a doctor to the SMS code 20547, they will be able to get the details and qualification of the doctor. We are also working on a barcode for all doctors which will reveal to a reader the details of any doctor making it easier to crack down on quacks. It will become operational in January next year,” said Dr. Yumbya.
Dr. Yumbya also revealed an application known as I-Care on the testing phase with the ability to identify all health facilities in the country.
“When one keys in the name of the facility, it will reveal its locality, doctor in charge and services being offered. This will help also during accidents and families will be able to know which facilities the victims are in,” he said.
There it is, stay informed!