• Top echelon of Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union removed
• Kenya Medical Association defends doctors, saying some were placed on list by mistake
Image: FILE
Top health officials are among doctors removed from the medical register yesterday for failing to comply with the law.
Among those dropped are director of medical services Jackson Kioko, head of non-communicable disease Joseph Kibachio, head of health promotion unit Sammy Mahugu and Edward Sirengo.
In total, 2,063 medical and 212 dental practitioners were affected.
If a doctor's name is not on the medical register, they are not permitted to undertake any form of practice in Kenya.
The top echelon of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union was also removed.
KMPDU chairman Samuel Oroko and his secretary general Ouma Oluga complied last year.
Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board removed the medics for failing failing to pay the annual Sh4,000 retention fees or to attend enough professional development training courses.
Board CEO Daniel Yumbya said others have complied with all legal requirements, but failed to update their details on the newly-installed online portal.
Most of those removed appeared to have complied until last year.
Yumbya said every doctor must access the portal and upload evidence of paying the retention fee and evidence of continuous professional development training.
"We are enforcing the requirements to ensure there is quality. Every doctor must attain 50 points in various sectors. This is not negotiable. Those who have paid the retention fee but have not updated CPD details are rejected by the system," Yumbya said.
He said after the list was published yesterday, hundreds of doctors rushed to comply and will be returned to the register.
"The trainings are offered by the Kenya Medical Association, dental association and other professional bodies accredited by the board. I'm impressed I'm told some doctors have supplied us with all the documents today," Yumbya said.
Former MP and Kisumu county secretary Olang’o Onudi was also removed, having complied last in 2015.
Others are World Bank health consultant Khama Rogo and Homa Bay health executive Richard Muga, who is a former director of medical services at the ministry of health.
Kenya Medical Association defended the doctors saying some were placed on the list by mistake.
KMA secretary general Simon Kigondu said some doctors had complied with all requirements but still found their names on the list.
"They should clean up the list because we have complains from many doctors who have been placed there unfairly," he told the Star.
Kigondu also invited doctors who are yet to attain the 50 points to attend the annual KMA scientific conference in Naivasha on April 24.
"The conference will focus on aging and from it doctors can garner professional development points, which they can submit to the board," he said.