Private hospital owners have accused counties and government authorities of harassment and interference with investigations into cases of medical negligence.
Dr Timothy Olweny, Secretary-General of the Kenya Association of Private Hospitals, said on Tuesday that processes of addressing negligence were being overtaken by interference by counties and state bodies.
Dr Olweny also said the probes were being overtaken by “roadside declarations and procedures outside the medical board’s standards and regulations”.
He further decried the “arbitrary and hasty arrest of health workers and hospital management and interference by counties, “a worrying trend for the health sector”.
“The separation of the responsibilities of statutory bodies tasked with regulation and oversight of private healthcare institutions seems to have been distorted by these incidents, with apparent abdication of these roles to the county government and other government agencies,” said Dr Olweny.
“We are deeply concerned by the extent to which county governments can disrupt or allege to terminate the operations of private facilities within their administrative jurisdiction under the presumption of safeguarding public interest.”