Hospitals, imaging centres and digital health firms have been put on alert after leading medical organisations moved to tighten enforcement of rules governing radiology reporting, following a court decision that has now reshaped how medical images are interpreted in Kenya.
The Kenya Association of Radiologists (KAR) and the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) have urged all players in the health sector to strictly follow national laws and licensing requirements when handling radiology services. In a joint statement issued on Friday, June 12, 2026, the two bodies said the move is aimed at protecting patients and reinforcing professional standards after a recent High Court ruling.
“Radiology reporting is a specialised medical service that must be undertaken within the established regulatory framework to safeguard patient safety, confidentiality, professional accountability, and quality healthcare delivery,” the statement read in part.
The associations said the court decision had also resulted in the suspension of operations of Rology Medical Kenya Limited, pending full compliance with requirements set by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), the Data Protection Act, the Digital Health Act and other health regulations in force.
They further directed hospitals and clinics using local or foreign teleradiology services to ensure that all medical images are interpreted only by qualified specialist radiologists who are duly registered and licensed by KMPDC.
Healthcare facilities were also instructed to confirm the identity, academic qualifications and licensing status of every doctor issuing radiology reports before engaging their services.
At the same time, KAR and KMA cautioned against the movement of patient images and medical data without strict adherence to Kenya’s data protection and digital health laws, warning that gaps in compliance could expose patients to serious risks.
“The outsourcing of patient images to unknown or unlicensed persons, whether within Kenya or abroad, places patients at risk of misdiagnosis, breaches confidentiality, and undermines the professional safeguards established to protect the public,” the statement said.
The two organisations stressed that radiology reporting carries full medicolegal responsibility and must only be done by professionals who meet strict training, licensing and continuing education standards under national regulation.
They noted that Kenyan radiologists undergo extensive specialist training and continuous professional development before being cleared to handle patient diagnostics, adding that any service provider offering similar work must meet the same threshold of accountability.
KAR and KMA also clarified that they support innovation in healthcare, including artificial intelligence and digital systems, but insisted that such tools must only support medical professionals and not bypass established safeguards meant to protect patients.
They have now called on all healthcare facilities to urgently review their radiology reporting systems and ensure full compliance with Kenyan law and regulatory requirements.