Duale suspends kidney transplant services at Mediheal

**Duale suspends kidney transplants at Mediheal, sends two top doctors home.** [File, Standard]

The Ministry of Health has suspended kidney transplant services at Mediheal Hospital and redirected patients to eight other licensed facilities, including Kenyatta National Hospital and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.

"Effective immediately, all transplant services- and in particular kidney transplant services- at Mediheal Group of Hospitals are hereby suspended until further notice. This decision follows credible concerns from government and citizens regarding the facility's adherence to required ethical standards in the conduct of transplant procedures."

"All patients currently receiving or seeking transplant-related services at Mediheal are advised to seek care at the following eight licensed kidney transplant facilities: Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital, M.P. Shah Hospital, Nairobi Hospital, St. Luke's Hospital- Eldoret, Nairobi West Hospital, and Mater Hospital," stated Health CS Aden Duale in a statement.

The move follows concerns over procedures at the private hospital, after an investigative documentary by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) revealed that organ trading has been taking place at the facility.

According to DW, the operations initially involved kidney recipients from Somalia and donors from Kenya. However, the scope of the alleged racket widened in 2022 to include recipients from Israel, and by 2024, from Germany. Donors were also reportedly flown in from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Pakistan.

Some donors were coerced into signing documents falsely identifying them as relatives of recipients they had never met. In many instances, they consented to kidney removals without fully understanding the health risks involved, with some allegedly underage at the time of surgery.

In response, Duale has appointed an independent audit committee to review Mediheal’s transplant records for the past five years. The committee is expected to submit its report within 90 days.

Additionally, two senior ministry officials — Dr Morris Wakwabi, the acting head of Blood Donation and Transplantation, and Dr Everlyne Chege, Ministry of Health Multidisciplinary— have been suspended to eliminate possible conflict of interest as investigations continue.

Dr Martin Sirengo has been appointed to take charge of the Transplant and Donation division in the interim.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has also been directed to halt licensing of foreign doctors outside the East African region and carry out a fresh audit on all currently licensed foreign practitioners.