This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
Published on September 3, 2019, a shocking revelation emerged about Kenya's healthcare system. Despite boasting one of the most sophisticated healthcare systems in East and Central Africa, four in five doctors, clinical officers, and nurses cannot accurately diagnose common diseases.
According to the Kenya Health Service Delivery Indicator Survey (SDI) 2018, these supposedly well-trained professionals struggle to identify whether patients are suffering from pneumonia, diarrhea, tuberculosis, and type 2 diabetes. The survey, conducted in 3,094 health facilities across the country, found that only 43% of medical workers can correctly diagnose three of the four conditions.
The consequences of this misdiagnosis are dire. In the first eight months of 2019, the number of patients reportedly harmed by medical treatment was 100, eight times the number in the same period the previous year. This is a stark reminder of the need for urgent action to address the gaps in Kenya's healthcare system.
Health managers must take immediate action to address this crisis. In the short term, this could involve providing training to upgrade the skills of medical professionals. In the long term, the training of health personnel in various institutions must be reviewed and tightened to ensure that patients receive quality medicare.
