The Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council has raised concern over claims of faith based healing for serious medical conditions following reports linked to a religious crusade held in Nakuru.
In a statement issued on Saturday, KMPDC Chief Executive Officer Dr David Kariuki said the regulator had noted “recent media reports and public discourse concerning claims of faith based healing for serious medical conditions, including HIV AIDS, cancer, blindness, deafness, muteness and physical disabilities.”
The council said the claims, allegedly linked to some medical practitioners, posed serious risks to public health and professional ethics. “The council unequivocally condemns such statements by medical practitioners, which are based on unverified claims,” Dr Kariuki said.
KMPDC stressed that medical practice in Kenya must be grounded in evidence based medicine, noting that claims of healing for life threatening or chronic illnesses require proper medical verification. “Claims of healing for chronic or life threatening conditions, such as HIV AIDS or cancer, require verifiable medical documentation and cannot be accepted without independent verification by qualified healthcare professionals,” the council said.
The regulator warned that unsubstantiated claims could mislead vulnerable patients into abandoning proven treatment, leading to “worsened health outcomes, drug resistance, or loss of life.”
While acknowledging the role of faith, the council cautioned against replacing medical care with unverified practices. “While faith and spiritual beliefs play an important role in many people’s lives, relying solely on unverified healing methods for serious illnesses can pose grave risks,” Dr Kariuki noted.
KMPDC said investigations were ongoing in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other agencies, adding that action would be taken against any practitioner found to have violated medical ethics or endangered public health.