NAIROBI - A health crisis looms in Kenya after the medical regulator deregistered more than 2,000 doctors and dentists for failing to comply with the law, local media reports say.

Privately-owned newspaper Daily Nation says 2,063 doctors and 212 dentists have been struck off by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (KMPDB) for failing to renew their registration.

The newspaper says the move is likely to affect the health sector, quoting the health minister as saying that Kenya has an acute shortage of doctors and dentists.

Medical workers are required by KMPDB to pay an annual retention fee of $40 (£30) or attend enough training courses to continue working, local daily The Star reports.

The paper also quotes the medical board as saying that some health workers had complied with all legal requirements but did not update their details on an online portal.(FA)