The new health facilities categorization rules Gazetted on 31st of December 2021, aim at streamlining services offered by health facilities in the country. The rules which clearly stipulate the services a facility can offer vis a vis the infrastructural and human resource quality and capacity will affect over 15,000 registered health facilities. In the new categorization, there are 12 levels of health institutions with the primary unit being a Community Health Unit run by a community health extension worker. This facility offers preventive as well as promotive healthcare including early identificationcation and screening of health problems at community level. This is unlike the previous categorization which had seven (7) levels whose basic unit was a clinic. The clinic was categorized at level 2, the human Resource quality and capacity notwithstanding.

The basic level of any facility run by a medical or dental officer is now classified as level 3B, which constitutes of the general practice medical clinic and the general dental practice clinic respectively. According to John Kariuki, the Deputy Director, Licensing and Accreditation, the new guidelines are to the ultimate benefit of the general public who will now be able to identify where to get specific services. Health facilities and practitioners are now expected to familiarize themselves with the new rules available at https://kmpdc.go.ke/