CS Aden Duale Inaugurates New Clinical Officers Council Board
The Clinical Officers Council (COC) formally welcomed the inauguration of its newly appointed Board, chaired by Dr. Joseph Choge, during a ceremony held at Afya House and presided over by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Hon. Aden Duale.
The inauguration marks a significant milestone in strengthening the Council’s mandate to regulate the training, registration, licensing, and professional conduct of Clinical Officers in Kenya, in line with its statutory responsibility to uphold professional standards and safeguard patient safety.
In his remarks, Hon. Duale underscored the important role of the Clinical Officers Council in ensuring effective oversight of clinical officer training and professional practice.
The Cabinet Secretary further emphasized that a competent, disciplined, and well-regulated health workforce is fundamental to the successful implementation of the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) and the attainment of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Hon. Duale also called for enhanced collaboration among health professional regulatory bodies, encouraging the Clinical Officers Council to continue working closely with the Nursing Council of Kenya (NCK) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC) to strengthen coordination and harmonize scopes of practice across the health sector.
In addition, he encouraged the Council to collaborate with the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Digital Health Agency (DHA) to support improvements in quality of care and advance the integration of digital health systems within the healthcare ecosystem.
The Cabinet Secretary further emphasized the importance of professional accountability, noting that negligence, fraud, or any actions that compromise patient safety must be addressed decisively in order to maintain public trust and uphold the integrity of the Clinical Officer profession.
The ceremony was attended by Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Ms. Mary Muthoni, Director-General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, Director of Curative and Nursing Services Dr. Andrew Toro, and COC CEO/Registrar Mr. Ibrahim Wako, alongside other senior officials from the health sector.
