CS Duale warns doctors against moonlighting during official hours

Health CS Aden Duale cuts the ribbon to officially open the  5-bed ICU and a 14-bed private amenity ward at Chuka Level 5 Hospital.

Tharaka Nithi County Governor Muthomi Njuki shows Health CS Aden Duale some of the equipment’s at the 14-bed private amenity ward at Chuka Level 5 Hospital.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said disciplinary action will be taken against doctors working in public health facilities who are found engaging in private practice during official working hours.

Duale spoke in Chuka town, Tharaka Nithi County, where he presided over the launch of a five-bed ICU and a 14-bed private amenity ward at Chuka Level 5 Hospital.

He raised concern that some doctors were deliberately absconding from duty or leaving their workstations during official hours to attend to patients in their private clinics.

He said all doctors employed in public hospitals are required to report to work from 8.00am to 5.00pm, stressing that public servants must give priority to patients in government facilities.

He further disclosed that some doctors were deliberately diverting patients to their private facilities, denying public hospitals the revenue despite paying the doctors’ salaries.

“This is unacceptable. The practice has become widespread, and some doctors are deliberately diverting patients from public facilities to private hospitals they own or operate, often denying government facilities the opportunity to offer services despite being paid by the taxpayer,” Duale said.

He added: “For a doctor to be on the government payroll and at the same time send patients away so they can make money elsewhere during working hours is fraud, and it will not be tolerated.”

Duale said the Ministry of Health, working with hospital management and regulatory bodies, will intensify monitoring and enforcement measures to ensure compliance.

He also warned medical unions against shielding members involved in the practice, saying accountability would be enforced regardless of resistance.

The CS reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving healthcare services in public facilities and called on health workers to uphold professionalism and ethical standards.

Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki echoed Duale’s remarks, saying holding multiple jobs purely for financial gain at the expense of patients is unethical.

“Some doctors are using public hospitals as retention grounds just to source patients for their private facilities. In some cases, our county hospitals are better equipped than the facilities patients are being sent to, but because of money, doctors deliberately deny government facilities a chance,” he said.

The newly commissioned ICU at Chuka Level 5 Hospital is the first of its kind in the region. The initial phase has a five-bed capacity, while the amenity wing will offer patients private-room services comparable to those found in private hospitals.