By Janet Nyanchoka
Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Aden Duale has suspended kidney transplant services at Mediheal Hospital, Eldoret.
Duale also suspended two top health officials amid an alleged organs harvesting and trafficking scandal.
This comes hours after Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka sought a statement from the Standing Committee on Health in the Senate regarding the issue of kidney transplants at the hospital.
Onyonka asked the committee to address and establish whether the Ministry of Health (MoH) had received and reviewed a report by the Kenya Blood Transfusion and Transplant Services (KBTTS) regarding flagged irregularities in 372 kidney transplants conducted at Mediheal Hospital since 2018.
He also wanted to know which protocols were used to verify donor recipient relationships and concent procedures involving foreign recipients and doctors, as well as donors without familiar ties to recipients and compliance with transplant eligibility criteria in licensed medical facilities.
Onyonka also wants to know the role of MoH in ensuring that transplant centres had met ethical, clinical, and legal requirements and an indication that there is a process available for routine audits, compliance, and enforcement actions.
He also wanted to know the licensing status of Mediheal Hospital as a transplant centre, and whether any investigations or reviews were done, or any were underway to access the compliance with the National Health regulations.
The Senator also wanted to know whether MoH was aware that there could be online platforms that may be facilitating illegal sale of human organs, including kidneys and the Ministry’s response to these concerns.
Senator Onyonka’s statement was informed by concerns from the public on this matter in recent days.
Duale’s action comes at a time the medical field in the country is facing a myriad of challenges that have reportedly compromised several health facilities compliance with professional standards.