Health CS Susan Nakhumicha has come to the defence of Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital CEO Ahmed Dagane.
Nakhumicha who appeared before the National Assembly Public Investments on Governance and Education said Dagane together with the board had steered the facility to greater heights despite him not being a doctor.
The CS had been summoned by the committee to shed light on the rationale behind the appointment of Dagane and its implications for the hospital’s operations and management.
“The hospitals’ operations and management are oversighted by the Ministry of Health and as the Cabinet Secretary, I can confirm that KUTRRH is doing well,” Nakhumicha told the committee.
“The Board of Management has steered the institution through the support of the ministry in achieving cutting edge diagnostic and treatment technologies that are only found in few countries in Africa."
The debate on the qualifications of Dagane and his ability to manage the level six facility has lingered on since last month when the committee sought to know why he was the CEO yet he holds qualifications as a nurse.
In response, the CS referred to a case filed in 2018 by the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya and the Kenya National Union of Nurses challenging the provisions in the Health Act 2017 that they said exclude non-medical professionals from holding key management positions.
The provisions require that various offices such as Chief Executive Officers, the Director General in the Ministry of Health and charge of different hospitals be held by persons who are registered by the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board.
In effect, this means that only doctors can hold these positions to the exclusion of all other health professionals registered under different professional bodies.
The nurses union and PSK therefore asked the court to declare the said provisions unconstitutional.
In its judgment on September 22, 2021, the court ruled that it “had not been demonstrated that members of the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board have unique administrative skills not available to the members of the Petitioners”.
As such the court ruled that the provisions were discriminatory to other healthcare professionals hence were declared unconstitutional and null and void.
“It is on this understanding that the current CEO of the hospital was shortlisted for the interviews after close of advertisement. During the interview, he was able to demonstrate his expertise and strategy in leading the Hospital,” Nakhumicha said.
“Having emerged as the candidate with the highest interview scores, he was appointed for a term of 3 years’ renewable subject to performance.”
According to Nakhumicha, the ruling has never been appealed to date.
Dagane who is a Registered Nurse and holds a Master’s in Business Administration - Health Care Management took over on July 1, 2022.