This archive report was first published on 28 August 2019.
On August 26, 2019, two Indian men were deported from Kenya after being charged with two counts of illegal medical practice and being in the country illegally.
Atul Arora and Shyam Singh were part of a fraudulent scheme that involved recruiting and referring Kenyan patients to India in exchange for money.
According to investigations, the duo had been operating in Kenya for two years, recruiting over 100 Kenyans and running similar operations in several countries, including Uganda, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan.
Local agents were paid approximately Sh500,000 for every patient sent to India, with higher profits if the patient required a kidney or bone marrow transplant and stayed longer in hospital.
The money was then included in medical bills accruing abroad, leaving patients with a significant financial burden.
At the time of their arrest, the duo had recruited 14 agents and were set to interview 24 others to participate in the scheme.
They were charged with promoting medical services for patients' referrals to India without a work permit and were fined Sh20,000 before being deported to their home country.
