KMPDC defines professional misconduct as behaviour by a medical or dental practitioner that violates medical ethics, professional standards, or patient safety.

IT IS ANOTHER CUSTOMER WEEK On 16th September 2025, the readers of The Guradian were shocked to learn that the United Kingdom Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) had made a ruling that “a doctor who left a patient midway through an operation to have sex with a nurse is at very low risk of repeating his serious misconduct” The Guardian, Mon 15 Sep 2025 19.44 BSTLast modified on Tue 16 Sep 2025 04.37 BST. According to the print media, “Dr Suhail Anjum, 44, and the unnamed nurse were caught in a “compromising position” by a colleague who walked in on the pair at Tameside hospital. The consultant anaesthetist had asked another nursing colleague to monitor the male patient, who was under general anaesthetic, so he could go to the bathroom.”

In the Kenyan set up how would such a case be handled? The Kenya Medical Practitioners & Dentists Council (KMPDC) is the regulatory body in Kenya for medical and dental practitioners. It handles complaints of professional misconduct including medical negligence, patient abandonment and failure to give care, etc. Its Disciplinary & Ethics Committee is empowered to conduct inquiries into such complaints. It can admonish, suspend, or take other disciplinary action. KMPDC defines professional misconduct as behaviour by a medical or dental practitioner that violates medical ethics, professional standards, or patient safety. Common categories include: Negligence, failing to attend to a patient under care, leaving a patient unattended during a procedure, failure to provide timely or appropriate treatment, breach of Ethics / Professional Boundaries, sexual relations with patients or staff within the clinical setting, harassment or inappropriate conduct in professional spaces, incompetence or recklessness, performing procedures without necessary skill or qualifications, practicing outside the scope of license, dishonesty or fraud, forging medical records, issuing false medical reports, or misrepresenting qualifications, substance abuse / impairment, practicing while intoxicated or impaired by drugs/alcohol, criminal Conduct, acts such as assault, theft, corruption, or other crimes that bring the profession into disrepute. According to Kenyan Standards (based on KMPDC practice, Serious Misconduct includes such acts as leaving a patient under anaesthetic and shifting to engage in conduct unrelated to medical care, especially sexual activity. This would almost certainly be classified as gross / serious misconduct. It involves abandoning duty of care, violation of medical ethics, putting a patient at risk (even if no harm resulted), and possibly breach of trust. A complaint would be filed, then the Disciplinary & Ethics Committee would investigate, possibly hold a hearing. The doctor would have rights to respond. Evidence would be gathered. KMPDC would enforce sanctions such as admonishment, suspension, revocation of license, or other sanctions depending on how severe, whether there was harm, whether it was a one-off or patterned behaviour, the doctor’s attitude and remorse, etc. The disciplinary body may consider whether the doctor is likely to repeat such misconduct—this depends on factors like previous disciplinary history, expressions / proof of remorse, corrective action, risk mitigation, etc. If found “low risk,” that might reduce severity of punishment, but not likely eliminate sanctions given the seriousness. Public Confidence Consideration even if the risk of repetition is judged low, affects trustworthiness of the medical profession; sometimes public confidence demands stronger sanctions than those needed strictly for risk. It is therefore clear that KMPDC would be more stringent on a case as listed above especially based on trustworthiness of a medical professional The likely Sanctions include; reprimand, a formal warning and corrective action, paying fines or compensating a harmed patient, restrictions such as supervision, mandatory training, suspension of license, temporary removal from practice until the doctor meets conditions for reinstatement. Deregistration and in some most serious cases permanent removal from the register of practitioners may also be enforced. Dr. Catherine Syengo Mutisya (MBChB,Mmed) is a Consultant Psychiatrist with over 25 years of medical practice experience

Part of the Keynote Speech delivered by Dr Catherine Syengo Mutisya

Dr. Catherine Syengo Mutisya discusses Dementia, Causes, Prognosis, Memo...

KPA Dr. Catherine Syengo Mutisya discussion on insomnia

Dr. Catherine Syengo Mutisya "All work and no play makes Jill a dull girl"

THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP by Dr. Catherine Syengo Mutisya

Many of us will struggle with inadequate sleep at some part of their life but because the problem doesn’t affect their daily functioning, they may not get to consult a doctor or a therapist or seek treatment for the problem. insomnia (inadequate sleep) in adults with symptoms lasting for 3 or more nights per week for a prolonged period and whose daytime functioning is considerably affected should be treated. Such treatment can range from talk therapy(psychotherapy) or medication or a combination of both. Insomnia is a sleep disorder which consists of inability to fall asleep or stay asleep or getting up early in the morning for a prolonged life. It is indeed a very common disorder, that affects up to about 6-40 percent of the population. Insomnia (inadequate sleep) can affect the quality of life just like disorders like depression and heart failure and so it shouldn’t be left unattended. Untreated insomnia also leads to or worsens other mental disorders and also impacts physical health like increasing predisposition to accidents and increasing appetite Inadequate sleep(insomnia) should be thoroughly investigated. Issues like the duration and frequency of the sleep, schedule for bed time, time taken to get asleep, awakenings, rise time, sleep environment, triggers in form of stress, shift work etc, behaviours during Sleep, past medical history and past treatment history should be assessed. Medication like caffeine can last up to 6hrs and so history of coffee use and use of other caffeinated products should be clarified. Nicotine also impacts sleep and so that history should also be investigated. Physical Sleep disorders like apnoea and obstruction should be ruled out by ideally a specialists in Ear Nose and Throat (E.N.T.) specialists. Ideally the first option for treatment of Insomnia is psychotherapy and specifically cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia. Some treatment guidelines recommend that cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) be the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, offered either face-to-face or via digital platforms. For adults where CBT-I is unsuitable or ineffective, they recommend medication treatment for long-term chronic insomnia, provided that the use of medication is only for the shortest possible duration and reassessed within three months. CBT-I (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia) is a proven and recommended treatment for insomnia. It uses different methods, like learning about sleep, changing habits, and changing thoughts. CBT-I works well for people with or without other health problems and so it would be good for the person who has insomnia to be assessed by qualified professionals. If someone suspects that they have insomnia they should seek assessment by the nearest medical provider, or the nearest counsellor. We should know that untreated insomnia can result in both physical and psychological complications, can complicate existing medical conditions and Insomnia can also be the pointer that there is indeed another medical condition It is therefore wrong to buy over the counter medication for treatment of insomnia or use substances like alcohol or other substances of abuse to manage insomnia. It is also important for counsellors and other front-line workers to refer cases of insomnia which are not improving for further investigations by the relent specialists. Use of “herbal” products has become rampant yet it is difficult to know what is contained in those herbs. Use of such products without professional involvement is therefore strongly discouraged. The writer is a mental health advocate with 25 years of medical practice experience

Is a suicidal attempt a sin, a crime, a curse or a mental health Problem?

To some it’s a sin, to others a crime and to us a mental health struggle! Dr Catherine Syengo Mutisya

“Ni kwa nini uliona Maisha haina maana?” Why did life feel so bad? Do you get suicidal thoughts? Have you thought of ending your life? These are some of the question’s psychiatrists and other mental health specialists who treat depression, alcohol and other drugs of use, those living with chronic illness or extreme life crisis. The stigma associated with suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts is immense and sometimes can make survivors determination to succeed in their next attempt relentless. Yet suicidal ideation marked by thoughts of self-harm or ending one’s life is a major mental heal emergency and if untreated leads to significant deaths. Suicide affects people of all ages with an estimate of one person dying every 40 seconds. Also, from a public point of view, criminalising suicide makes it hard to collect data which is key in planning for future suicide prevention strategies. Kenya is among the countries that have decriminalized attempted suicide as a result of decades of mental health advocacy. Other countries which Kenya emulated include India, Ghana, and South Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has consistently called for the decriminalization of suicide, noting that such laws are counterproductive and exacerbate mental health crises. And so, in January 2025, when a Kenya’s High Court ruled that criminalising attempted suicide is unconstitutional, there was a glimmer of hope that the door to accessing the highest attainable standard of mental health with less stigma was beginning to open. This marked a significant shift toward compassionate, health-focused approaches to mental health care rather than the archaic punishment way. It is therefore expected that more people struggling with suicidal thoughts would be able to seek treatment and help researchers develop further more effective treatment options and prevention strategies. Furthermore, research has also demonstrated that talking openly about one’s challenges including any possible suicidal thoughts can give an individual various option or the time to rethink decisions, thereby preventing suicide People who die by suicide are said to have deliberately killed theselves yet on the other hand their thoughts constantly remind them that life is not likely to get better. Such persons are also filled by certain religions as having committed a sin and in some African cultures as disgrace and a sign of bad omen. Now that Kenyans have accepted that that those who survive suicidal attempts should be supported and not punished by the law, the next steps include dealing with the cultural and religious undertones by public and targeted campaigns that aim to make the clergy gate keepers. Improving household financial security would also go a long way in preventing suicides. Indeed, financial difficulties in Kenya is a big contribution to mental health crisis. Efforts to reducing access to the common means likely to be used by persons at risk of suicide for example pesticides and substances of abuse and at the same ensuring access to mental health care for all is also a big strategy for preventing suicides. Promoting healthy connections in the communities boosts easy connection, communication and caring for each other hence building strong communities with low levels of loneliness. Training young people on life skills, problem-solving skills, together with social and emotional learning increases resilience which is key to adjusting to life’s ups and downs. As an early life start up pack for babies, parents need to be trained on effective parenting skills and strategies and in return improving family relationships In conclusion, a lot of work needs to be done for Kenya to actualise the desire to improve mental health to be at par with physical health. Preventing suicide requires more commitment and huge investment bearing in mind that there is no health without Mental Health. Decriminalising suicide was the therefore the starting, point and it will require county governments and the national governments to invest more in mental health because for every shilling allocated to mental health there is increased productivity, and savings in economic burdens accrued to mental illnesses The writer is a mental health advocate