The Ministry of Health (MoH) plans to establish a specialised anti-fraud police unit to curb the rising cases of unlicensed and untrained individuals offering fake medical services across the country.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said the unit will spearhead a nationwide crackdown on illegal clinics and unlicensed medical practitioners, working closely with officials from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to enforce professional standards.

“We will crack the whip. We are planning to form an anti-fraud police unit to deal with fraud in the health sector,” Duale said on Sunday.
“If you are a quack doctor or a healthcare practitioner who is not licensed, you better look for somewhere else to carry out that illegal business.”

The CS said the ministry will also digitise the healthcare system through a centralised dashboard listing all licensed doctors, dentists and pharmacies, while flagging those operating illegally.

“The law is very clear. You cannot run a health facility without being licensed by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council. We are forming a multi-agency task force and increasing the KMPDC budget to strengthen enforcement,” Duale said.

The announcement comes two weeks after the death of a patient, Amos Isoka, following complications from a botched tooth extraction at an illegal clinic in Kawangware.

Isoka died on Wednesday evening at Kenyatta National Hospital, where he had been admitted after developing severe swelling of the neck, tongue and chest.

Duale directed Kenyatta National Hospital to waive all medical bills incurred during Isoka’s treatment.

“Tomorrow morning, I will instruct KNH to waive all the bills of our late brother who was mishandled by a quack doctor, just as we do for victims of protests or other emergencies,” he said.

The ministry is also preparing to introduce a new regulatory framework known as the “Scope of Practice” to clearly define medical procedures that health workers are authorised to perform based on their training.

“Once we launch the Scope of Practice, every health worker will only treat patients according to what they studied in college. There will be no grey areas,” Duale said.

Meanwhile, detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revisited the illegal Kawangware clinic in search of evidence to support ongoing investigations.

Items seized include laboratory equipment, assorted drugs and an identification card bearing the name Lowrence King’atua Kamau. Police said a manhunt is underway to arrest the suspects, who remain at large.