The Clinical Officers Council of Kenya (COC) is a government agency - a corporate body created by the Clinical Officers (Training, Registration and Licensing) Act no. 20 of 2017 - Laws of

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whose work is to supervise and control the training and professional practice of

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, dentistry,

orthopaedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

s and

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

work by

clinical officer A clinical officer (CO) is a gazetted officer who is qualified and licensed to practice medicine. In Kenya the basic training for clinical officers starts after high school and takes four or five years ending on successful completion of a one-y ...

s and to register and license

clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...

s and medical centres. A person who is registered by the Clinical Officers Council is entitled to render medical services in any approved institution and may, with respect to patients,

examine An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verba ...

diagnose Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " cause and effect". In systems engin ...

, order

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physic ...

and

imaging Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's form; especially a visual representation (i.e., the formation of an image). Imaging technology is the application of materials and methods to create, preserve, or duplicate images. ...

investigations, prescribe treatment and perform procedures as per their scope of training.

History

Historically styled after the

United Examining Board The United Examining Board was formed in 1993 to administer non-university qualifying examinations in medicine and surgery. The diplomas offered by the United Examining Board were registerable with the General Medical Council in order to register ...

which could award GMC-registrable diplomas known as the

Conjoint {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 The conjoint was a basic medical qualification in the United Kingdom administered by the United Examining Board. It is now no longer awarded. The Conjoint Board was superseded in 1994 by the United Examining Board ...

and

Triple Qualification The Triple Qualification (TQ) was a medical qualification awarded jointly by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Faculty (later Royal College) of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow betwe ...

to university and non-university-trained doctors in the UK between 1884 and 2007, this new

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred to ...

is a modern law which came into effect in 2017 after repealing of an old act and has been updated (by court order and under the Health Laws (amendment) Act No. 5 of 2019) to align with

Universal Health Care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

and to comply with the country's

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these prin ...

and legal requirements.

Functions

The functions of the Clinical Officers Council are to: *advise the government on policy matters relating to clinical medicine practice *prescribe the minimum educational entry requirements for persons wishing to be trained as clinical officers *approve institutions other than those established or accredited under the Universities Act, 2012 for the training of clinical officers *establish, approve and accredit programs for continuing professional educational programs *register and license clinical officers for the purposes of this Act *maintain a register and records of all clinical officers registered under this Act *cause to be published in the Kenya Gazette every calendar year the names of all registered clinical officers *promote development and adoption of codes of practice *regulate the professional conduct and ensure the maintenance and improvement of the standards of practice of clinical medicine *collaborate with other medical professional associations, organisations and other relevant bodies, in the furtherance of the functions of the council and those bodies *consider and deal with any other matter pertaining to clinical officers including prescribing badges, insignias or uniforms to be worn by clinical officers and *carry out other functions related to the implementation of this Act.

Members

The clinical officers council is made up of the following members: * A chairperson who is appointed by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and has (i) a relevant bachelor's degree from a recognised university (ii) at least ten years' relevant experience and (iii) is registered as a

under this Act * The Director General for health or his or her designated representative * The

Chief Clinical Officer A clinical officer (CO) is a gazetted officer who is qualified and licensed to practice medicine. In Kenya the basic training for clinical officers starts after high school and takes four or five years ending on successful completion of a one-y ...

* One clinical officer elected by members of the faculty of

Clinical Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

at the Kenya Medical Training College * One clinical officer representing the Kenya Clinical Officers Association who is nominated by the Association and appointed by the Cabinet Secretary * One clinical officer representing universities training clinical officers who is elected by the teaching staff from among their number * The Registrar who is an ex-officio member and secretary to the Council * Two clinical officers, one in public practice and the other in private practice from each gender who are nominated by the Cabinet Secretary * One person with knowledge and expertise in finance or audit who is appointed by the Cabinet Secretary * One person representing the public who is nominated by

consumer organisation Consumer organizations are advocacy groups that seek to protect people from corporate abuse like unsafe products, predatory lending, false advertising, astroturfing and pollution. Consumer Organizations may operate via protests, litigation, camp ...

s and appointed by the Cabinet Secretary.

The disciplinary committee

The Disciplinary Committee of the clinical officers council is a

quasi-judicial body A quasi-judicial body is non-judicial body which can interpret law. It is an entity such as an arbitration panel or tribunal board, that can be a public administrative agency but also a contract- or private law entity, which has been ...

which is made up of the

Principal Secretary The Principal Secretary is a senior government official in various Commonwealth countries. * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the President of Pakistan * Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister of Ind ...

in the Ministry of Health and the Attorney General (or their representatives) plus four

s serving in various capacities and has powers to: * Receive and investigate complaints made against clinical officers * Enter and inspect any establishment or premises operated by a clinical officer under investigation * Seize and remove any object from any premises which may be related to the matter under investigation * Request the Attorney-General, the Director of Public Prosecutions or both to provide advice on any recommendation made by the committee in an inquiry * Request and receive assistance from the police or any other governmental body or person as necessary in the enforcement of its powers * Regulate its own procedures

References

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Forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Medical and health organisations based in Kenya Government-owned companies of Kenya