Ethical Issues in Health Care in Kenya. A Critical Analysis of Healthcare Stakeholders

Abstract

The main aim of this paper was to examine and analyze the ethical and moral issues in the healthcare systems in Kenya, with special emphasis being given to physician performance, nursing care and professionalism. The research was carried out in 8 (eight) provinces of Kenya, due to their cultural similarity and findings established. Research questionnaires were prepared and hand delivered to top administrators, employees, students pursuing healthcare professions, religious leaders and patients as well as private cooperates, government officials in Kenya especially in research regions. The paper employed ethical theories such as virtue ethics theory, deontological ethics theory, ethical learning and growth theory. Teleological ethics, utilitarian theory and ethical principles such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, double effect, confidentiality and informed consent to build its content.

The research involved survey approach to get responses from the eight provinces. An analysis of the data was carried out using principal component analysis. A major finding was found to be the weakening influence of the healthcare institutions to instill ethical concerns on the physicians, nurses and other members of society on healthcare management in Kenya.

It was recommended that ethics should be employed to help in healthcare management and reinvent the affected parties especially the patients, nurses, physicians and healthcare institutions at large. This was to involve healthcare management aided by ethical theories and values of humane living, through establishment of ethical committees whose members live by ethical standards of honesty, integrity, commitments and accountability. This paper is purely ethical and first in its entirety in Kenya to focus on ethics as a tool of enlightening and controlling healthcare institutions in Kenya.