Lack of access to proper health-care is one of the greatest handicaps most Kenyans have to contend with. Since the public health system has proved inadequate, given the low funding levels that translate into a shortage of equipment and staff, the alternative is private clinics.

That most private clinics and hospitals are efficient and effective is indisputable. The catch, however, is that their charges are usually so high they lock out many patients. In a country where more than 50 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, talk of accessing medical care in private clinics, where a doctor's consultation fee never goes below Sh500, is absurd.

At the core of the matter is the fact that medical charges have never been standardised. Each practitioner has his or her fees and is not accountable to anyone. Nor do they recognise the postulate that every medical practitioner must save life at all costs, irrespective of a patient's financial situation.

It is, therefore, heartening to learn that the Kenya Medical Association is planning to issue guidelines on medical fees to standardise doctors' charges.

According to KMA Chairman James Nyikal, the proposals will be presented to the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board and the Health Ministry for approval.

While there is no disputing the fact that doctors in private practice must make money to sustain their operations, they must do so with a human face.

But having regulations and standards is one thing; enforcing them is quite another. We hope the KMA and the Government have also worked out an effective strategy for ensuring doctors adhere to the set standards.

Since disease is a matter of life and death, it is likely that doctors will coerce patients and their relatives into accepting unfair terms. This is why structures should be set that empower patients to resist such exploitative machinations.