NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 30 — Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga has challenged the dental profession to urgently address longstanding gaps in access, equity, and public confidence in oral healthcare, warning that systemic weaknesses continue to put lives at risk.
Speaking Thursday in Nairobi during the launch of the Kenya Dental Association (KDA) 2026–2030 Strategic Plan, Oluga noted that despite the association’s 65-year history, millions of Kenyans have never accessed professional dental services.
The Ministry of Health said the PS cited recent preventable incidents as evidence of deeper failures within the system that require collective responsibility from regulators, professionals, and institutions.
“The profession must move beyond visibility and anchor its advocacy in evidence, social commitment, and clearly defined public health problems,” Oluga said.
He emphasized that oral health remains a critical but often neglected component of overall healthcare, and called for stronger alignment between the dental sector and the government’s broader health reforms, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) framework.
People-centred blueprint
Oluga urged stakeholders to develop a people-centred national blueprint aimed at expanding oral healthcare services equitably across all communities, particularly underserved and low-income populations.
His remarks come two weeks after a Nairobi man, Amos Isoka, died following complications from a dental procedure allegedly performed by an unqualified practitioner at an unlicensed clinic in Kawangware.
Family members said Isoka’s health deteriorated rapidly after a tooth extraction at Life Clinic, prompting an emergency referral to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
He was admitted to the critical care unit, where doctors performed multiple surgeries to stabilize him, but his condition worsened.
The family alleges the clinic operated illegally and was staffed by individuals without proper medical training, and that the suspect behind the procedure remains at large.
Health sector stakeholders say the incident reflects serious gaps in regulation, oversight, and enforcement within the informal health services sector, particularly in low-income urban areas where vulnerable patients often seek cheaper alternatives.
