NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 7 – The Ministry of Health has ordered the closure of unlicensed aesthetic clinics amid a rise in invasive cosmetic procedures across cities.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni asked the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to shut down clinics in violation of standards even as she promised a comprehensive framework to enhance safety standards, protect the public, and ensure compliance among aesthetic clinics.
“The Ministry of Health urges members of the public to seek cosmetic and plastic surgery services only from licensed and qualified practitioners to safeguard their health and well-being,” Muthoni stated.
The ministry directed that all facilities with inadequate Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures must comply with recommended standards within 30 days.
Additionally, the ministry gave facilities lacking emergency medical provisions 60 days to establish and equip emergency trays.
The PS further directed aesthetic clinics without Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to develop and implement them within 60 days to ensure safe and standardized practices.
“The Ministry remains committed to enhancing patient safety, strengthening regulations, and ensuring that all health-related services in Kenya adhere to the highest standards of care,” she said.
Invasive cosmetic procedures
Muthoni ordered a prohibition on all beauty and medical spas from conducting invasive medical procedures subject to proper inspections, registeration, and licensing in accordance with established norms and standards.
The PS a comprehensive assessment of aesthetic clinics and beauty spas, which exposed multiple deficiencies in their safety protocols, informed the measures.
Assessments conducted in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Eldoret revealed that three out of twenty-six assessed aesthetic clinics were operating illegally without registration.
Additionally, inspections found that seven out of 102 beauty spas offering microblading and microneedling were operating without proper registration or qualified personnel.
“Forty per cent of the assessed facilities lacked essential emergency medical supplies, while 20 per cent exhibited inadequate infection prevention and control measures,” Muthoni stated.
The PS noted that MoH assessors did not review Omnicare Medical Limited as it remains closed pending legal proceedings.
KMPDC closed the facility, also known as “Body By Design,” in early November following a probe into the death of a patient, Lucy Wambui, during a plastic surgery procedure.
MoH’s call on KMPDC to institute compliance enforcement on esthetic clinics and spas follows growing concerns over compliance with medical standards and patient safety.
