President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday ordered Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rashid Aman, who was part of the delegation that accompanied him during his State Visit to Cuba, not to leave the country until he reaches a cooperative agreement on health with the Caribean Island State.
The Head of State ordered CAS Aman to stay in Cuba until he delivers on critical results – an agreement with extensive detail on cooperation with Cuba in the health sector.
Essentially, the agreement will cover a raft of critical areas. These will include, first, the secondment by the Cuban government of doctors to Kenya to fill crucial gaps in county hospitals; and secondment of technical experts to operate equipment.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta in Cuba"]
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Second will be the participation in research and advanced trials of medicines in areas that Kenya is vulnerable; using therapeutic anti-HIV and anti-prostate cancer vaccines; vaccines to control influenza and meningitis; and control of diabetic foot ulcer amputation.
It will also cover the vector control in the fight against malaria.
Kenya will also look to Cuba for vaccines against ticks, guaranteeing healthy animals and a cleaner environment due to a reduction of chemicals used in tackling ticks at the moment.
During the visit, Kenya agreed to accelerate a health agreement it signed with Cuba last year by importing doctors from the Caribbean nation to fill gaps in county hospitals as President Kenyatta pulls all the levers to ensure the success of the health pillar of his Big Four agenda.
On his part, the Health CAS disclosed that they had struck an agreement to bring in 100 medical specialists – with each county getting at least two – and Kenya would also send 50 doctors to Cuba for specialised training shortly.
He explained that the two countries would work on more collaborative research projects, develop training for primary healthcare workers, and collaborate to build capacity to undertake genetic engineering and biotech work.
Aman assured that: "Timelines are as soon as possible.”
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta in Cuba"]
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Cuban doctors will need to be cleared by the Kenya Medical and Dentists Practitioners Board but Governors Anyang Nyong’o of Kisumu and Mohamud Mohamed Ali of Marsabit, who were also in the delegation and back the deal, said they expected no problems.
Nyong’o, who had been to Cuba twice before when he served as a minister in the coalition government, and had been party to health cooperation agreements that were never implemented, said he wanted to see swift implementation because health was at the epicentre of growing Kenya.
