Overseas medical referrals in an effort to stop the abuse and exploitation of patients if a bill before Parliament goes through.

Health (Amendment) Bill seeks to amend the current laws to compel the Ministry of Health to develop policies that would guide the referral of a patient from one facility to another.

The bill also provides that the Cabinet Secretary, in liaison with various stakeholders, comes up with policy guidelines and principles that will ensure a smooth transfer of patients from one hospital to another, both locally and internationally.

“This is important because, as we speak today, referral of patients from one hospital to another is done haphazardly. One doctor may decide to refer a patient to a different facility simply because he is moody, tired, or does not have time,” says Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, the sponsor of the bill.

“The proposed law will ensure that there is a framework that guides practitioners, doctors and health facilities on what informs when and how there would be a need to transfer a patient from one facility to another,” added Barasa (pictured).

He argued that there is no substantive law that health facilities and practitioners follow in ensuring the dignity of the patients who are being transferred from one facility to another.

“Some facilities have come up with very good policies. However, we want to ensure that we have a law that guides the transfer of patients from one hospital to another, including transfer of patients from this country to the rest of the world,” he said.

Barasa, however, accused some health facilities and practitioners of acting as conduits to refer patients outside the country, even when the reason they are being referred is not merited.

“This Bill seeks to ensure that even before a patient is referred, the referring facility must ensure that facility has the requisite personnel and equipment to address the patient’s problem,” he said.

Embassies

During the 12th Parliament, the then Kesses MP Swarup Mishra brought a similar bill but was shelved following the expiry of the term.

Baraza’s bill further seeks to compel the government through the referring institution, to inform the Kenyan Embassy or consular where a patient is going.

“It is so that it can continue to offer some bit of logistical support in terms of understanding how many citizens of Kenya are being treated in which part of the world and in which hospital,” said Barasa

He added: “It also becomes the responsibility of our ambassadors and high commissioners, wherever they are, to take stock of the number of Kenyans who are undergoing treatment in those countries.”

Supporting the bill, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba said it seeks to regularise, through a policy, the ways in which medical practitioners refer patients.

“This bearing in mind that all of us are victims and have been patients in the past. It is good for us to come up with a policy guideline that will guide the country on those who can afford a referral. We sometime have patients being referred to facilities that they cannot afford,” said Wamuchomba.