The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has issued a series of demands following the death of a 22-year-old man who succumbed to a severe infection after an alleged gross surgical negligence.
In a statement on Monday, June 1, KMA extended its condolences to the family of the deceased, maintaining that the patient's death was preventable and that he was entitled to safe, lawful, and competent medical care.
The association said evidence already in the public domain pointed to serious failures in the manner the procedure was conducted.
"As documented in video footage now in the public domain and confirmed by the official media briefing of the County Government of Trans Nzoia, a major surgical procedure was performed in the complete absence of basic surgical infrastructure and infection prevention and control standards," the statement read.
KMA said the alleged actions amounted to a serious breach of professional and legal standards.
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"The conduct alleged in this case constitutes gross medical negligence under Kenyan law. KMA affirms that negligence of this nature and magnitude must be met with the full force of the law: professional, civil, and criminal," the statement added.
The association called on the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to launch an immediate investigation into the matter and review the practitioner's credentials.
"We therefore call upon the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to immediately open a formal investigation, independent of and concurrent with all other proceedings.
"The Council must review the full licensure status of the individual concerned and pending the outcome of that investigation proceed to pursue the full range of disciplinary sanctions available," the statement continued.
KMA also urged the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to assess whether the circumstances surrounding the death warrant criminal charges.
"KMA further calls upon the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to urgently consider whether the circumstances of the patient's death meet the threshold for criminal proceedings.
"The deliberate performance of a surgical procedure in conditions that posed a direct and foreseeable risk to life, resulting in the death of a patient, is not a matter that professional sanction alone can adequately address," the statement further read.
Addressing reports linked to the case, KMA noted allegations that the practitioner involved may have a history of substance use disorder but stressed that investigations should determine the facts.
The association emphasized that any concerns about a practitioner's ability to safely provide care must be addressed immediately.
"Reports circulating in connection with this case allege that the practitioner involved may have a longstanding history of a substance use disorder. KMA notes these reports with concern and without prejudice to the ongoing investigations.
"KMA is unequivocal, however, that the existence of a substance use disorder does not and cannot excuse the endangerment of patients. Where a practitioner's fitness to practice is in question, immediate suspension from clinical duties must follow pending formal assessment," the statement noted.
KMA further demanded that KMPDC immediately suspend the doctor's licence and pursue permanent revocation if supported by evidence.
The association also called on the DPP to open a criminal inquiry without delay and urged the government, KMPDC, and professional associations to strengthen peer-reporting mechanisms to enable medical practitioners to raise concerns about colleagues whose conduct may endanger patients.
Elsewhere, this comes months after the Kenya Dental Association (KDA) petitioned the Parliament seeking urgent intervention over the Bachelor of Science in Oral Health programme, which it says lacks proper legal and regulatory grounding.
In a statement on Wednesday, March 4, the association called for the immediate suspension of the programme, arguing that its accreditation status, statutory approval and professional recognition remain unclear.
"The Kenya Dental Association (KDA) has formally petitioned the Parliament of Kenya to urgently investigate and immediately suspend a purported Bachelor of Science in Oral Health programme whose accreditation status, statutory approval and professional recognition remain unclear and deeply questionable," the statement read.
According to KDA, the programme was introduced without consultation with key regulators and stakeholders in the dental profession, a move it described as a major regulatory lapse.
"KDA states unequivocally that no key statutory regulator or professional stakeholder was consulted in the conception, development, or rollout of this programme. This exclusion is not a minor procedural oversight; it is a serious regulatory lapse. Professional training in healthcare cannot be introduced outside established legal and consultative frameworks," the statement added.
As part of its petition, the association outlined specific demands to government agencies to prevent what it termed as confusion and potential unlawful professional pathways.
"We demand that the Ministry of Education immediately halt any further progression of this programme pending full regulatory clarification; and the Commission for University Education urgently engage statutory regulators and professional stakeholders to prevent confusion, duplication or unlawful professional training pathways," KDA demanded.
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