The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist (KMPDU) Council has cleared the Nairobi Women’s Hospital of all overcharging allegations, confirming that the Hospital’s fees are in line with industry benchmarks.
The Council, however, provided a number of recommendations aimed at improving information management and business communications across the institution, which the Hospital wholly embraces.
In a statement, the council revealed its findings which include that there was no evidence of overcharging at the Nairobi Women’s Hospital, or any instances where the fees charged were above the recommended rates provided in the Medical Practitioners and Dentists (Professional Fees) Rules, 2016.
The Council instructed the Hospital’s senior management team to better manage, direct and/or correct the nature of communications and language used across all formal business communications. It added that the Nairobi Women’s Hospital has systems in place addressing outpatient, admissions and discharges.
With this regard, the Council has made a set of recommendations to enhance the Hospital’s internal processes, including: enhancing the incorporation of doctors in the senior leadership team to offer medical guidance; putting in place an appropriate policy of information management and reviewing all business communications protocols; and using only appropriate language in any correspondence.
“The health and needs of our patients always have been and always will be our priority,” said Dr. Sam Thenya, founder of the Nairobi Women’s Hospital. “It was important to open our hospitals to an independent review, and we thank the Council for their detailed assessment and feedback. We will comply with all of their recommendations, as well as implement further improvements to ensure we are continuing to provide the highest quality service to our patients.”
In addition to the Council’s inquiry, the Board of the Nairobi Women’s Hospital also reportedly engaged an independent firm to review the hospital’s policies and practices and make recommendations for further enhancing the quality of patient care.
The hospital has committed to immediately undertake necessary actions to build on its current quality standards, building on the Council’s recommendations. They include, reviewing the the company’s governance structure to ensure that clear and effective communication lines are maintained, and that the existing quality control functions within the Hospital have a second line of reporting directly to the Board.
The hospital management has also committed to implement a training programme to raise awareness of the Hospital’s compliance policies and procedures, its focus on delivering quality healthcare at an affordable price, and its existing whistleblowing procedures. It will also update internal reporting protocols to ensure a comprehensive monitoring of all admissions and discharges
The Nairobi Women’s hospital has further committed to regularly assess the proportion of Medical Doctors and Clinical Officers across the Hospital, so as to guide the organisation on the ethics of good clinical practice.
“We are committed to tackling this matter in a manner that lives up to the long-standing trust that the authorities, the regulators, the insurance companies, the medical community and the patients have placed in us,” said Dr. Thenya. “We will continue to do everything in our power to provide the best possible healthcare to our patients at the most affordable prices.”