Unmasking Quack Medics
The recent expose of a quack Medical Officer in kayole estate has raised a lot of questions on how we have such people within our societies. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines a quack doctor as one who pretends to have medical knowledge or skill. It is therefore only right that we find a way of identifying this pretence.
An important thing to note is that you could be in a well-registered facility but be attended to by a quack who has probably managed to fool the institution and get a job. It is also important to remember that quackery is not synonymous with incompetence even though the two have been closely linked to each other. Nonetheless, that is a discussion for another day.
The Kenyan health scene is one that has been rising fast in the last decade. As a young clinician, I have lost track of the number of medical centres that have mushroomed between the time I graduated and the short time I have been working. Take a look on your way home today and note the numerous medical ads. They range from herbal clinics to very complex hospitals. This makes the average Kenyan client to be in a very confusing space because they are provided with a market that I like to call a ‘market of extremes.
A market of extremes is one that provides you with very good services in one end and that is probably expensive and inaccessible to the average patient as is with many Kenyans. On the other hand, it has very cheap services that are doubtful. Again, the average Kenyan will not use this option. This is what makes the existence of quack clinics and quack medics come into play. They portray themselves as flashy medical centres in the middle-income earner’s communities. They know just how to attract almost everyone. They are a little bit expensive but admirable by the average patient, so they will put together their little income and come to this facility. They are also not so cheap for the good income earners and as such, they will trust the facility.
With such traits, these clinics can thrive in Nairobi around typical middle-class estates like Umoja, Kayole, Dandora and Buruburu but never in slums like Kibera, Mathare and Ngomongo. A recent survey also showed that Eastleigh is leading in the number of quack clinics and quack clinicians.
The following could be red flag signs that you are either being attended to by quacks or you are in a quack clinic. I use the word quack over and over because it is what can best describe what these individuals have done to the noble career that is medical practice.
1. Very Bargainable; Quack clinics and quack medics usually have no defined price rates for their services. Take, for example, a medical test that is supposedly 2500 shillings, can quickly be done for 1000 shillings. That is way over a 50% discount. Remember, cheap is ‘expensive’.
2. Superhero Staff; These staff do more than one professional task in these institutions. The classical example usually is the clinician or doctor running the lab tests. This is a red flag for quackery even if the clinician knows how to run the test.
3. Missing Licenses; Such institutions will miss county health letters and certificates of registrations clearly hang on the wall. If ever you notice this, or there is no straight answer to where the licenses are, don’t risk your life getting health issues covered here.
4. Know it all doctor; these doctors don’t know it all. They will, however, find a way to turn down a patient’s question by brushing them away saying he has already done his best. They also never have a clear diagnosis for the patient and have no confidence in the treatment they have given by answering simple questions like when they expect the patient to start feeling better.
5. Hurry; a quack will always be in a rush to finish attending to a client. This is very sad as it is also a loud sign of unprofessionalism.
6. Nameless Staff; ever been to a facility and you can’t remember a single person who attended to you? Well, people in fraud business never want you to remember them by name and they will avoid telling you their name at all costs.
7. Numerous lab tests or no tests at all; Clinical practice usually works inter-departmentally. A good physician will most likely request a lab test or have a reason for not requesting one. They will also explain why they need you to do the tests.
8. Very many medications in one visit; this is one of the commonest danger signs that you are in the hand of a quack. It implies guesswork. Put your clinician to task to explain why you have a whole tin of medications to take home!
9. Open unprofessionalism; these kind of facilities will have staff that do not greet clients, a clinician who chews and blows gum, an untidy examination room or improper ways of touching patients as was the case with the quack medic in Kayole.
Medical services can be cheap but genuine. Remember to observe the above, next time you visit a medical centre near you!
