Kenya Dental Association raises alarm over unregulated healthcare training programmes

The Kenya Dental Association (KDA) has raised concerns over the continued establishment and implementation of healthcare training programmes that it says are inadequately regulated, warning that the trend poses significant risks to students, patients and the country's healthcare system.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, KDA President Dr. Kahura Mundia said healthcare education remains one of the most highly regulated sectors because healthcare professionals directly affect people's health, safety and lives.

“Any attempt to introduce professional healthcare courses through irregular processes, without proper regulatory oversight, curriculum validation, accreditation, clinical training standards and stakeholder engagement, poses a significant threat to the integrity of Kenya's healthcare system,” said Dr. Kahura.

The association boss warned that students enrolling in such programmes could face serious consequences, including being denied professional registration and licensure, and rejection of their qualifications by regulatory boards and employers.

"Students may invest significant time, effort and financial resources in programmes that fail to meet the standards required for professional recognition and practice," stated Dr. Kahura.

He noted that parents and sponsors also stand to incur substantial losses if they support programmes that do not meet the required accreditation and regulatory standards.

The association chief further cautioned that patients could ultimately bear the greatest risk if graduates from inadequately regulated programmes enter the healthcare workforce.

"Training programmes that lack proper accreditation, adequate clinical exposure, qualified faculty and standardised competency assessments may produce graduates with critical deficiencies in knowledge, skills and professional judgment," Dr. Kahura said.

The association president added that such deficiencies could compromise the quality of healthcare services and patient safety.

He also expressed concern over what he described as the emergence of "backdoor" healthcare training pathways and unstandardised professional programmes.

"These developments risk undermining decades of progress in strengthening healthcare education and professional regulation in Kenya," he said.

Dr. Kahura went ahead to note that KDA has formally written to the Ministry of Education, the Commission for University Education (CUE), professional regulatory councils and other quality assurance agencies seeking investigations and clarification on the programmes in question.

He said the association has requested information regarding accreditation status, regulatory approvals, clinical training arrangements and professional recognition pathways for the affected programmes.

KDA specifically highlighted concerns over the continued accreditation of the Bachelor of Science in Oral Health degree programme, saying it remains worried about its structure and alignment with established professional and regulatory standards.

“As the representative body of dental health professionals in Kenya, KDA is deeply concerned that this programme, as currently constituted, does not align with the established competency frameworks, scope of practice and professional standards that govern dental health care delivery in Kenya,” stated Dr. Kahura.

The KDA president called on relevant authorities to ensure all healthcare training programmes fully comply with accreditation requirements and professional regulations.

"We urge all stakeholders to prioritise patient safety, professional standards and the protection of students by ensuring that healthcare education programmes meet all prescribed regulatory and quality assurance requirements," he said.

“Kenya cannot afford a situation where healthcare training standards are compromised at the expense of patient safety. The country risks a future marked by declining healthcare quality, erosion of public confidence in health professionals and preventable harm to patients.”