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- Published on: 13 November 2017
- Published on: 13 November 2017Letter to the Editor: Emergency Medicine is a recognized specialty in Kenya
Dear Editor,
In the recent article by Myers, et al., the authors stated that Emergency Medicine (EM) was not a recognized specialty in Kenya, which was highlighted as a key step for the development of acute care in Kenya. During the review process for publication of this paper, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) formally recognized EM as a new “medical specialty” in May 2017.(1) The paper also highlights the volume and diversity of patient presentations to Kenyatta National Hospital, the national referral hospital. The majority of patient complaints were either undifferentiated, or were due to trauma and non-communicable diseases. These high acuity, multi-disciplinary patients represent a case mix that an EM residency– trained practitioner is ideally suited to manage. Although Kenya currently lacks EM residency training programs, the recognition of the specialty is a step forward for the development of EM care in Kenya.
(1)Gazetted Specialties [Internet]. Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board. 2017. Available from: http://medicalboard.co.ke/resources_page/gazetted-specialties/
Conflict of Interest:
None declared.