Kenya review finds mixed compliance in aesthetic clinics

KENYA – The Ministry of Health, in collaboration with several health regulatory agencies, has completed an extensive review of aesthetic clinics and beauty spas offering plastic surgery and other invasive cosmetic procedures in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Eldoret.

This initiative followed a directive from the Ministry to assess the compliance of these facilities with licensing and safety standards, which came after the tragic death of a patient at Omnicare Medical Limited.

In total, 26 aesthetic clinics were evaluated, with 20 of them (77%) meeting the necessary licensing and operational standards. However, three clinics had applied for registration and were waiting for approval, while another three were found to be operating without proper registration.

In addition to the clinics, 102 beauty spas were inspected. Seven of these spas were found to be offering invasive procedures, such as micro-blading and micro-needling, without the required registration or qualified personnel.

The inspection revealed that 40% of the facilities lacked essential emergency medical supplies, and 25% had insufficient infection prevention and control measures.

Omnicare Medical Limited, which was involved in the incident, was not assessed in this review, as it remains closed due to ongoing legal proceedings.

Following the assessment, Mary Muthoni Muriuki, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards, issued a statement with several key recommendations.

 The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) has been directed to close down any unregistered aesthetic clinics operating illegally immediately.

Additionally, all facilities with inadequate infection control measures are required to meet the recommended standards within 30 days.

The Ministry also emphasized that clinics without proper emergency medical provisions must equip themselves with emergency trays within the next 60 days.

Aesthetic centers that do not have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place must develop and implement them within the same time frame to ensure safe and standardized practices.

Furthermore, the statement clarified that beauty and medical spas are prohibited from offering or advertising invasive medical procedures unless they are inspected, registered, and licensed in accordance with existing standards.

The government is working on a comprehensive regulatory framework for invasive cosmetic procedures to further protect the public.

The Ministry of Health has urged the public to seek cosmetic and plastic surgery services only from licensed and qualified practitioners to ensure their safety and well-being.

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