Mutahi Kagwe Hails Kenya-Cuba Deal, Unveils 48 Doctors

Kagwe Cuban Doctors
Former Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe Poses With Cuban-Trained Kenyan Doctors On May 4 2022 at Windsor Golf Hotel and Country Club
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Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has lauded the inaugural cohort of 48 Cuban-trained Kenyan doctors for their achievement upon their graduation.

In an event held at the Windsor Golf Hotel and Country club on Wednesday, May 4, Mutahi noted that the doctors were privileged to get the opportunity and therefore had a great responsibility to give back to their country through service.

The student doctors were sent to Cuba in 2018 by the Kenyan government in partnership with the Cuban government.

“This is an extremely special team for Kenya, we have never done 48 students at going in one place from one country except for the 1958 airlift program, so this is a special occasion and a momentous one” he stated.

Health CS Mutahi Kagwe addresses the media at State House on Monday, March 7, 2022..jpg
Health CS Mutahi Kagwe addresses the media at State House on Monday, March 7, 2022.
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The program is anchored on the family healthcare model and preventative medicine which Kagwe described as a cost-cutting measure.

The CS praised the preventative approach to the treatment of diseases agreeing that it was better than Kenya's, which focuses on cure.

“We become captives of pharmaceutical manufacturers who don’t want people to prevent diseases because they won’t sell” the CS retaliated saying preventing diseases at the family level is the foundation of a healthy nation.

Cuba’s choice as a partner was informed by the nation’s robust healthcare system. He noted that the government seeks to borrow the primary healthcare management training program which is premised on preventative primary healthcare.

“While their focus on individual diseases is attractive, it is in their overall health management system that we find the greatest appeal” the statement read in part.

Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang Nyong’o who was also in attendance shared his personal experience with the Cuban renowned healthcare infrastructure.

He recounted how the Cuban healthcare system stood out for him when he first visited the country in 1983.

“Because we are so focused on primary healthcare and family health and community health as the foundation of health service delivery, the authority in that area is in Cuba” the Governor stated.

The graduates will work with Kenyan doctors to impart their skills across various counties where they will be deployed.

Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o giving an update on the 9th Edition of the Africities Summit on Wednesday, May 4, 2022..jpg
Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o giving an update on the 9th Edition of the Africities Summit on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.
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