Police arrested a 36-year-old fake doctor after he was caught pretending to be a medic and treating patients at Malindi Sub County Hospital.
According to the police, the man identified as Wycliffe Okechi Mecha, had been conning unsuspecting residents who sought treatment at the hospital.
During one of the rounds, the hospital staff noticed Okechi while he was busy treating patients and administering medication before they alerted the hospital superintendent.
Subsequently, the superintendent questioned Okechi asking him to produce any documentation that proved that he was a doctor.
When he could not prove that he was a trained professional doctor, the hospital called the police arrested the 36-year-old quack.
“He was using the name of the hospital to con residents. He is not one of our doctors and does not have any medical training.
We called officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and they took over the matter,” said the superintendent.
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Pastor Reveals that Fake Doctor Offered Jobs at Hospital
At the same time, a Malindi preacher spoke to the media revealing that the man was a member of his flock. According to the preacher, Okechi joined their church a few weeks earlier and said that he loved serving in the church.
When he told them that he loved to sing, they allowed him to join the praise and worship team in the church.
Also, the pastor said that Okechi had testified to the whole congregation that he was a doctor at the sub-county hospital.
“When he came to the church, we welcomed him warmly and because he told us that he loved to sing, we also allowed him to join the praise and worship team.
He gave his testimony and told us that he was a doctor, so we were very shocked.
“He has said several times before the whole congregation that he works at the general hospital,” said the pastor.
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Additionally, he said that Okechi also offered jobs to members of the church, telling them that there were openings at the hospital.
“After two weeks he told us that there was a job opportunity at the hospital, and he wanted to offer someone the job.
He asked if we knew any woman who would be a good fit for the role,” he added.
Hospital Implements New Measures After Quack Incident
Following the incident, the hospital’s administration warned patients and relatives admitting their loved ones against doctors asking them to pay bills in cash.
The administration insisted that patients ought to pay for services using cashless methods already in place.
“We are cautioning all patients at the hospital. Please be careful. Do not pay the bills using cash, please. We have our paybill numbers and everyone ought to make payment through that,” noted the administration.
The incident occurred two days after protests held by post-medical interns over the failure of the Ministry of Health to post them to various hospitals and facilities.
During the protest, Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Davji Atella was attacked by police causing uproar among health practitioners and human rights organizations.
Additionally, Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli demanded that the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki issue an apology for the attack immediately.
“We demand an unconditional and immediate apology from the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government for the unprovoked attack on Dr Davji Attella, a respected leader advocating for the rights and welfare of healthcare professionals in Kenya,” said Atwoli.
