Half-bake students training to become health professionals at your own peril, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has warned health regulators in efforts to safeguard patient safety.
According to Duale, complying with the training codes were non-negotiable.
These remarks come a few weeks after his ministry stopped internships of more than 300 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) students who were found to have failed eligibility requirements. The revocation was a bitter pill for the students who had been placed for internships.
Duale said the firm step was in line with the Public Service Commission Internship Policy and Guidelines for the Public Service (2016) and the Ministry’s Internship Policy for Healthcare Professionals (2020).
“Do not be compromised by the people you regulate — your work is patient safety,” he stated and added that health trainers ought to follow the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) curriculum and standards.
He reiterated that the codes were “not arbitrary”, but were built to protect patients and secure “professional credibility.”
He was speaking at a meeting with a delegation from Mount Kenya University (MKU) led by Vice Chancellor Deogratius Jaganyi. The talks focused on the global reputation of countries’ health workers and Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage agenda.
According to the CS, the government is committed to ensuring health workers are trained and meet the highest standards. He warned the industry against commercializing training, among them introducing courses without consultation and approval.
“These are gaps we are addressing decisively to ensure training programmes meet regulatory requirements and uphold patient safety,” the minister, who has been praised by the practitioners, said.
According to the Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), the minister understands what he is doing. KMPDU secretary-general Davji Atellah has repeatedly said that Duale “knows his job”, adding that the previous Health ministers were struggling, leading to frequent strikes over pay and other work conditions.
