EMBU, Kenya – The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Deputy Secretary General, Dr Dennis Miskellah, has called on the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) and the Ministry of Health to urgently enforce staffing standards in both public and private hospitals.
Speaking in Embu, Dr Miskellah said it was alarming that more than 5,000 trained doctors remain unemployed, yet hospitals across the country continue to operate with severe staff shortages.
He noted that the Kenya Medical Practitioner’s and Dentists Council, (KMPDC) Staffing Norm Standards require all health facilities, from Level 2 to Level 6, to employ adequate numbers of doctors, nurses, consultants and specialists.
“I want to call on the KMPDC and the Ministry of Health to ensure that all hospitals, both public and private, comply with the staffing norm standards. Every level of hospital is required to have a specific number of doctors and other health workers,” Miskellah said.
He urged KMPDC to carry out a nationwide crackdown on non-compliant facilities.
Dr Miskellah also dismissed concerns raised by county governors over the number of hours doctors work, saying the long hours are a result of chronic understaffing.
“According to the Doctors’ CBA, doctors should work 40 hours a week, eight hours a day for five days. But due to the shortage of doctors, we work up to 24 hours a day and 168 hours a week,” he said.
He warned that if doctors were to strictly follow the 40-hour work week as suggested by governors, many hospitals would be left without doctors, putting patients’ lives at risk.
Addressing claims that doctors deliberately refer patients to private hospitals for personal gain, Dr Miskellah dismissed the accusations, saying referrals are made purely in the best interest of patients.
“Our core mandate as doctors is to save lives. When a hospital lacks essential equipment or specialised services, a doctor is obligated to refer the patient to a facility where they can receive the required care,” he said.
He cited cases where patients requiring urgent orthopaedic services are forced to wait for days in public hospitals due to lack of equipment, a delay he described as life-threatening.
Dr Miskellah challenged county governments to ensure their hospitals are properly equipped before blaming doctors for referrals to private facilities.
“Before blaming doctors, governors should ensure their hospitals have adequate equipment and medicines. Lack of these resources is what forces doctors to refer patients elsewhere,” he said.
“When patients are told SHA will not pay if they seek care in private hospitals, it is the patients who suffer, not doctors. Many will end up avoiding SHA altogether,” Miskellah warned.
Dr Miskellah also defended doctors working in both public and private hospitals, noting that patients treated in private facilities are Kenyans as well.
“We have one Ministry of Health, not separate ministries for public and private health. Even leaders who criticise doctors seek treatment in private hospitals. If doctors stopped working there, where would these leaders go?” he noted
Dr.Miskellah called on national leaders to end what he termed as the blame game, urging all stakeholders to play their role in strengthening Kenya’s healthcare system.
