Cuban Doctors Issue 2 New Demands

Cuban doctors in the country have reached out to the government seeking an increase in the funding of human resource growth.

The concern has been raised by two Cuban doctors Dr Edelio Hernandez, a family physician, and Alina Gelpizan, an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) specialist deployed in Kiambu County.

Speaking during the Annual Health Summit in Ruiru, the medics noted that although the government has made commendable efforts in sustaining the health sector, some quarters of the health sector are underfunded.

[caption caption="A Cuban doctor attending a patient"][/caption]

The two, who are stationed at Gatundu Level Five and Thika Level Five hospitals respectively, singled out medical personnel and medicine as the areas that need more input from the government.

"The government has a good healthcare vision but needs some funding for human resources and medicine," the Cuban medics noted.

The Cuban doctors have been in working in the country for the last one month having received cordial reception especially from patients in their new stations.

However, the language barrier has been termed a major challenge given that most cannot converse fluently in English while most patients are conversant with Swahili.

For instance, Diana Rosa, who is deployed in Nyeri Level 5 Hospital has been forced to enlist the services of interpreters as patients struggled to communicate with her. 

"The patients here are only speaking in Kiswahili but in the next four or five months I will be speaking Kiswahili better than them since I will learn the language polepole (as time goes by)," Rosa, who is deployed in the County alongside Eisy Cabrera - a nephrologist, had stated in the past.

[caption caption="The Cuban doctors being received by Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong'o on their arrival in the country"][/caption]

On its part, the Kenya Medical Practitioners Doctors and Dentists’ Union (KMPDU) led by the Secretary-General Dr Ouma Oluga, however, raised concern on the possible infringement of the patient's privacy and confidentiality given that interpreters are not under oath as required for medics.