Bomita

We are against the Kenya Healthcare Professionals Policy tabled for public participation. Today we will be in Machakos, Samara Hotel to state our position as a UNION. We will use all the means possible to safeguard out dignity. @HonAdenDuale @kUCOofficial @KCOA_Official

Tommorow let's meet Semara Hotel,Machakos Town.We Must Make sure Healthcare works by having Inclusive,Fair Human Resources Policies.Afya House is becoming MAFYA HOUSE.Where Brains are rotting unutilized. Skewed Policies.May be it's time we turned MAFYA HOUSE to Plaza Specialists

It's so shameful that 63 years after independence National Government of Kenya.. 13 years after devolution in Marsabit county..Poor Citizens of Kenya have to seek healthcare services in Neighboring Countries Ethiopia..@WilliamsRuto, @_KithureKindiki, @koske_felix, @HonAdenDuale

Moreover, why would he do so without involving his counterpart the CS for Education and without telling the university whether the ministry of health will meet the cost of transition? Immediately before the dust settled..

Enrolled in the program and completed it also have to transition to the Dental Surgery Program. Osoro's question was pretty simple; Why would a CS for Health himself write directly to a University VC who is very junior to his portfolio without following due process ?

Osoro, an alumni of the institution noted that the ministry of Health in a letter dated 15th Dec 2025 wrote to the VC of MKU directing them to halt offering Bsc Community Oral Health course & transition to Bachelor of Dental Surgery Program. Moreover, all the students who had

The Majority Whip Sylvanus Osoro made a submission and requested for a joint statement from both the chairpersons of the Departmental Committees on Health & Education regarding the Cessation of the Bachelor of Science Oral Health a Mount Kenya University

Dr Patrick Amoth: Why the Man Trusted with Safeguarding Universal Health Care for All Kenyans is Crippling it Behind the scenes Recently, something very interesting and which I think majority of us missed happened at the National Assembly....🧵

He cannot hide behind bureaucratic corridors while decisions that could deny opportunities to students, weaken Kenya’s healthcare workforce, and jeopardize access to medical services for millions of citizens continue to unfold. The future of Kenya’s healthcare system should never be determined by professional turf wars or institutional power plays. It must be guided by evidence, fairness, and the needs of the Kenyan people.

What is becoming increasingly clear is that the Technical Working Group (TWG) behind these recommendations appears to operate under the direct influence of the Director General for Health, Dr. Patrick Amoth, who is widely perceived as the principal architect of these controversial decisions. In the end, Dr. Amoth has serious questions to answer.

It is a matter of national interest. Any policy affecting such a critical workforce must be evidence-based, transparent, consultative and aligned with Kenya’s commitments to Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goal 3.

For millions of Kenyans, particularly those in rural and marginalized areas, Clinical Officers are often the first and only point of medical care. Therefore, the continuation and strengthening of training pathways from Diploma to Higher Diploma, Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD levels is not simply a professional issue.

According to the Clinical Officers Council, at least 13 universities in Kenya are accredited to offer Bachelor’s degrees in Clinical Medicine, including JKUAT, Egerton, MKU, Kabarak, MMUST, Kisii, St. Paul’s, Kirinyaga University, KEMU, Uzima University and others. To dismiss such an established profession as temporary is not only inaccurate it risks demoralizing a workforce that forms the backbone of Kenya’s healthcare system.

Scrapping these programmes will only widen the existing healthcare gap, especially considering that 180 Kenyan students are currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Oral Health, alongside international students who have applied for the programme. Even more concerning were recent public remarks by Dr. Patrick Amoth, suggesting that Clinical Medicine is merely a “stop-gap measure” and proposing its eventual abolition. Such statements disregard nearly a century of professional evolution, regulatory oversight, and measurable public health impact.

In fact, the opposite is true. Clinical Officers currently manage over 90% of HIV care and treatment services nationally, while also playing critical roles in tuberculosis management, malaria response, maternal and child health services, minor surgical procedures, anesthesia, ophthalmic care, mental health services, disease surveillance and emergency outbreak response especially in rural and underserved areas. As of February 2026, Kenya has: 1,670 registered Dental Officers (1,035 licensed) 810 registered Community Oral Health Officers (484 licensed) These professionals continue to provide oral health services across the country including in facilities owned by members of the Kenya Dental Association itself.

For decades, Clinical Officers and Oral Health practitioners have worked side by side with doctors and dentists across more than 17,000 health facilities nationwide. To date, there is no empirical evidence, documented complaints, or clinical data demonstrating that their roles undermine service delivery.

But the real question remains: What is wrong with these students pursuing degrees in these fields? These programmes are not experimental or controversial globally. Universities around the world offer similar courses. For instance: University of Melbourne – Bachelor of Oral Health Curtin University – BSc Oral Health Therapy University of Manchester – BSc Oral Health Science University of Bristol – Dental Hygiene and Therapy University of Wyoming – Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene For Kenya a country still grappling with health workforce shortages such professionals are not optional luxuries. They are a necessity.

The attempt to scrap or downgrade programmes such as the Bachelor of Science in Clinical Medicine and BSc Oral Health at MKU increasingly appears less like a policy decision and more like a calculated move driven by professional protectionism and self-interest.

Despite these legal safeguards, the Ministry continues to press forward. This is happening even after a meeting chaired by Dr. Amoth on 12th August 2025 between officials from the Ministry of Health and leadership from Mount Kenya University, which had aimed at resolving these concerns and restoring normal institutional processes.

Even more troubling is that the Universities (Amendment) Act of 2016, Section 5A(5) clearly states that any person who purports to license, accredit, recognize, audit, inspect, or index students without the authority of the Commission commits an offence punishable by a fine of up to two million shillings or imprisonment of up to two years or both.