Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has secured a deal with the United Kingdom government that will see access to specialised treatment improved in the country.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Health (MoH) dated Saturday, May 28, Kenyan doctors will be trained in various specialised areas with the main focus being on handling cancer.
The new deal is aimed at making screening, early diagnosis, and treatments like radiotherapy and nuclear medicine more widely available. Increasing the number of cancer treatment specialists in the country will also be given top priority.
The inked deal will see the first cohort of cancer treatment specialists travel to Christie Hospital and the Manchester University in the United Kingdom as part of the pact between Kenya and the UK.
Kagwe told UK health officials that cancer is among the leading causes of death in the country.
"Cancer is the third leading cause of death in Kenya, after infectious and cardiovascular diseases, and it is estimated that there are nearly 48,000 new cancer cases reported each year," MOH stated.
The CS added that Kenya has invested heavily in health care reforms including training, which culminated in the first curriculum conference held in February 2022, with representation from over 26 countries.
This new deal comes just months after the government introduced an English Training program for Kenyan nurses seeking jobs in the UK.
Kagwe explained that the government would train Kenyans seeking jobs overseas. He added that the training program is aimed at creating a workforce that is internationally recognised.
"It's a historic event as this is the first time ever that we, as the government, have undertaken a training of this kind whereby we are preparing our young people to train overseas.
"We want to create a workforce that is internationally able, qualified and for that we are proud. It's essential that Kenyans can travel to the UK not feeling as refugees, not hiding behind the scenes but traveling as appreciated and recognised expatriates," he stated.
