Doctors’ Salary Scales in Kenya and How to Become One
Among the most involving but lucrative professions in Kenya is the medical profession. Doctors have a lot to do and as such, a lot to earn too. Those who have a lot of questions about this profession, especially in terms of salaries, should not such more since this article will answer most of those questions.
In various hospitals, there is a hierarchy to be followed, and this is what brings in the difference in the doctors’ salary scales.
The salary of a doctor depends on the grade of that doctor. Below are the grades which determine the salaries of medical doctors.
Medical Doctors’ Grades
| Grade | Years of experience | Salary scale (Kshs.) |
| Entry level doctors | 0-3 | 138,000-141,000 |
| Mid-level doctors | 4-9 | 142,000-237,000 |
| Senior level doctors | Above 10 | 238,000-450,000 |
Medical Doctors’ Career Progression
Medical Interns
These is a medical officer who has just graduated from the university with a degree in medicine, though is not licensed to be a medical practitioner without a supervisor. Medical interns undergo training of not less than a year to gain the relevant experience in their areas of specialization like gynaecology, paediatrics, surgery, medicine, child health, obstetrics among others.
Intern doctors have the following responsibilities:
- Registration of patients
- Offer Guidance to patients
- Record summaries of health cases
- Documentation and regular update of patient details
- Engaging in any other duty assigned by their supervisors.
Qualifications to be an intern
- Must have valid academic transcripts or degree certificate
- Must have proof finishing an undergraduate medical course
- Must have a signed Hippocratic Oath
- Must have an internship license from the KMPDB
Interns earn average Kshs. 132,000 salary, minus allowances.
Medical Officers
A medical officer is the doctor in charge of a medical facility.
Medical officers have the following responsibilities
- They order and interpret patient tests
- They asses records, details and examination data to diagnose infections in patients
- Order more tests in case of insufficient results
- Engage in consultation with other doctors
- Prescribe medicinal drugs to patients
- Refer extreme cases to specialist hospitals
Qualifications for a medical officer
- Must have an MBChB degree from a chartered institution
- Must be licensed by KMPDB
- Must have successfully served a medical internship programme in a registered hospital for at least one year
- Must have chosen to serve as a general physician.
A medical officer earns averagely Kshs. 141,000 salary, minus allowances.
Chief Medical Officer
These are the officers that are overally in charge of hospitals, who are mostly overseers in such facilities. They are only found in bigger medical facilities.
Chief Medical Officers have the following responsibilities;
- Give advice on health issues and control of disease
- Offer medical support to the patients
- Discover cases of inconsistent results and investigate reasons.
Qualifications
- Must have an MBChB degree from a chartered institution
- Must be licensed by KMPDB
- Must have successfully served as a medical officer in a public hospital
Chief Medical Officers earn averagely Kshs. 190,000 salary, minus allowances.
Medical Specialists
These are physicians who have advanced their medical education and have specialized in a medical niche. They include dermatologists, surgeons, dentists, opticians, gynaecologists, oncologists, paedetricians, immunologists, among others.
Responsibilities of specialists include:
- Acting as consultants for specific medical conditions
- Attend to cases of referrals
- Diagnosing and treating internal disorders using specialized techniques
Qualifications of Medical specialists
- Must have an MBChB degree from a chartered institution
- Must be licensed by KMPDB
- Must have attended a residency training of not less than 3 years
- Must have attended at specialty study of not less than four years.
Medical Specialists earn averagely Kshs. 400,000 salary, minus allowances.
