Negligence by doctors blamed on overwork

What you need to know:

  • At least 742 complaints of malpractices in hospitals have been reported to the board this month alone: George Magoha
  • Kenya Medical Association secretary Lukoye Atwoli likened the fatigue experienced by overworked doctors to what truck drivers go through resulting in accidents on the road

Increased cases of medical malpractice and negligence in hospitals is due to staff shortage, doctors have said.

Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board said on Wednesday there are only 5,800 doctors in the country attending to 43 million Kenyans.

“Kenya has about 5,800 doctors who are both on the register and are retained against 43 million people. That is about one doctor to 10,000 patients,” board chairman George Magoha said during the opening of the 42nd Kenya Medical Association conference at Temple Point Resort in Kilifi.

He continued: “This is very poor and it is sometimes the reason why doctors get overwhelmed.”

The figure, he said, is in comparison to other countries such as England where there are 250,000 doctors serving a population of about 65 million.

Prof Magoha said despite the government spending a lot of money to train doctors, many are seeking opportunities elsewhere, further reducing their numbers.

“We train about 500 at  Nairobi, Moi and Kenyatta universities and another 200-300 from outside. The quagmire is that once they do their internship, about 40 per cent of them move to other countries,” he said.

At least 742 complaints of malpractices in hospitals have been reported to the board this month alone, he said.

OVERWORKED MEDICS

Kenya Medical Association secretary Lukoye Atwoli likened the fatigue experienced by overworked doctors to what truck drivers go through resulting in accidents on the road.

“We have doctors who work as long as 72 hours without sleep and that is where most mistakes happen. If you are in the theatre, you are basically operating on auto-pilot,” he said.

Meanwhile, the board criticised push by counties to supply medicine, saying it is likely to undermine quality of healthcare in some regions.