The Licensing Department at KMPDC has intensifed efforts to ensure all medical and dental practitioners acquire at least 50 continuing professional development (CPD) points before acquiring annual practicing licenses.
According to KMPDC Licensing Manager John Kariuki, all medical and dental practitioners must attain 50 points per calendar year before the Council can issue a practicing license.
“The purpose of CPD is to ensure professional competency at all times as a way of improving patients care. It is mandatory under CAP 253, Laws of Kenya (CPD rules, 2019) for every medical and dental practitioner to comply with CPD requirements,” says Kariuki adding that the Council has automated the CPD approval process to make it easier for practitioners.
Last year, KMPDC, in response to physical distancing requirements to curb the spread of COVID-19, launched an online platform where medical practitioners can claim CPD points from learning activities.
The online platform dubbed integrated CPD management system (iCMS), enabled practitioners to claim CPD points for learning activities which are not organized by CPD providers accredited in Kenya.
KMPDC’s CPD Officer Sarah Were notes that this platform enabled users to earn CPD points from participation in online conferences or through publishing scientific papers in journals abroad.
Last year, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah notes KMPDC received a significant increase in CPD compliance as per the KMPDC guidelines issued in 2019.
“Our members registered very high compliance levels with the CPD guidelines. This pandemic has shifted our operations and boosted online-based service delivery,” she adds.
The Continuing Professional Development Guidelines state: CPD is a quality assurance mechanism instituted to ensure that practitioners maintain their fitness to practice. Further, an individual and collective commitment to CPD by practitioners and providers will help reduce cases of professional malpractice, build public confidence in our health care system, and enhance the standing of the profession.
According to Sarah, KMPDC will conduct vigorous assessments of the submitted documents to ensure doctors and dentists only earn points from accredited CPD providers.
“Unlike when we dealt with a lot of manual work, we have a digital system where users submit proof of CPD. That will help us conduct thorough inquiries into the documents to ascertain only credible activities provide CPDs,” she said in an interview.
Sarah further noted KMPDC is working towards calcifying the CPD requirements unlike any other time before.
“CPD is a central component of the licensing process. We have allowed medics and dentists to earn points from a variety of CPD providers. As we enforce this requirement, KMPDC is alive to the challenging environment we are living in,” Sarah clarifies.
She however noted that while universities and hospitals are CPD providers, lecturers and medical practitioners only earn points from activities other than the main job.
“Your main job is not a CPD duty,” says Sarah. “We only accredit CPDs from duties outside the daily job activities.”
She however added that KMPDC recognizes internship and postgraduate as CPD providers. “Earning a Master’s Degree automatically gives one 50 CPD points. We also recognize internship as a CPD activity that garners 50 points,” she says.
Sarah concludes by calling on doctors and dentists to “be honest when submitting documents for CPD approval” noting the medical profession is premised on “trust and fidelity to the code of conduct”.
