Patients set to benefit under proposed law on patient care

Director of Health Standards Dr Kigen Bartilol and Kijable Hospital Pediatrician Dr Mary Adam peruse through the Quality-of-Care Bill, 22 July, 2024. [Boniface OKendo, Standard]

Amid the changes in the public health sector, Kenyans are set to benefit as the Ministry of Health completes and enacts quality standardisation legislation.

Known as the Quality-of-Care Bill, the law, when passed, is expected to fill a major gap in health outcomes and instil quality improvement as an organisation practice in public and private hospitals. This will be in line with the ambition to achieve zero preventable patient mortalities.

Speaking at a leadership forum in Nairobi, Dr Kigen Bartilol, who is the Director of Health Standards and quality Assurance Regulations in the State Department of Public Health, announced that the new law will ensure that public and private health facilities across the country adhere to certified service delivery standards.

"It will enable healthcare practitioners to give structured granular assessments to health facilities covering their infrastructural, human resource capacity, processes and procedures," he said.

He added, "When done correctly and by everyone in the institution, we expect patients to receive better healthcare services countrywide."

He further emphasised the bill's importance in achieving Universal Health Coverage, citing Kenya's high burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases.

Healthcare practitioners expect the new law to drive a system-wide cultural shift towards quality improvement, enhanced data accessibility, and improved communication across health disciplines.