Policy & Regulations offering medical or dental services , or both ,” reads an excerpt in the Gazette notice .
It warns medical practitioners against charging fees for consultations on services not provided .
“ The process of reviewing the documents is all involving . It was subjected across all professionals who submitted their quotations to the board , which did a draft based on the existing guidelines ,” said Mr . Yumbya .
Previously , these documents ( inform of booklets and reviewed after every five years ) were only accessible to the medics and the medical board .
Although the new regulations will make it easy for patients to know when they are being overcharged , Mr . Yumbya said that the publication was not informed by complaints from the public .
“ Of course we have heard Kenyans complain about hospital charges but it was not easy to address the issue . However , these guidelines are just a review of the previous ones we had . The only difference is that it is now legally binding ,” he said .
Mr . Yumbya explained that the new rates were calculated and adjusted using the inflation rate from the year 2013 to March 2015 as quoted by The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics .
Affordability
But are the new charges affordable to the patients ?
Health Cabinet Secretary Cleopa Mailu said the new fees are a far cry from what hospitals are currently charging .
“ The guidelines apply mainly to private hospitals and it is not really a question of how low or high the costs are . It is about what is reasonable for the patients ,” said Dr . Mailu .
Currently , it costs up to Sh130,000 to give birth at a private hospital and Sh53,000 and Sh152,000 for normal delivery and Caesarean Section ( CS ), respectively , in the private wing of a public hospital .
However , the new regulations now caps fees for a Caesarean Section at a minimum of Sh96,000 and a maximum of Sh180,000 and normal delivery at between Sh36,000 and Sh72,000 .
“ I do not understand why the cost of performing a CS should vary yet the specialist and equipment being used are the same . What should probably vary is the cost of the type of room one chooses to be admitted in ,” added Dr . Mailu .
The minister explained that the medical board will now have a legal framework to go by when patients raise complaints on overpricing .
“ Our intention is to educate the public because you find that there are instances where doctors charge preferentially depending on the hospital and with an assumption that patients have money ,” he said .
The list published in the Kenya Gazette warns medical practitioners against charging fees for consultations on services not provided .
“ The fees shall be adhered to by all practitioners and institutions registered under the Act and no practitioner may agree or accept fees above what is provided under these rules ,” it says .
The new guidelines were received positively by stakeholders in the health sector led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Doctors Union who termed them as a “ step in the right direction ”.
“ They are good rates and they will take care of patients because they are affordable and will work for doctors , especially those in the lower cadre who are now assured of gainful employment ,” Secretary-General Ouma Olugasaid .
In the same breadth , private hospitals have also welcomed the gazetted charges saying that hospitals are already conforming to the new regulations .
Dental Procedure
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