Health Cabinet Secretary Nakhumicha Wafula has announced that the government will not renew its agreement with Cuban doctors who were brought into the country to fill gaps in county hospitals six years ago.
The 2017 agreement between Kenya and Cuba actualized an engagement program where the Cuban doctors would provide assistance in Kenyan hospitals and Kenyan doctors would go to Cuba for specialised training.
“We have decided not to renew the agreement with the Cuban doctors. Our very own healthcare professionals are committed to the cause,” Nakumicha noted.
While making the announcement, Nakumicha expressed confidence in the ability of Kenyan doctors to handle operations across Kenyan hospitals competently.
“As a ministry, I am confident that we will have a highly motivated workforce,” the CS said in a statement.
The agreement between Kenya and Cuba signed during former President Uhuru’s tenure in power was marred in controversy as local health practitioners opposed the move.
Kenyan doctors decried being sidelined arguing that they have the capacity to do everything that their Cuban counterparts could stating that they only lacked the necessary medical equipment and remuneration to perform their activities.
Local doctors also opposed the move, citing that it was unfair to unemployed Kenyan health practitioners.
Even so, Cuba’s healthcare system has been lauded as being one of the best worldwide.
This is due to its focus on a preventative approach to medicine rather than the curative approach, which had been widely practiced in Kenya.
Despite the backlash, after the two-year contract with Cuba ended, Kenya extended the deal much to the chagrin of local doctors.
There have been calls by institutions like the Council of Governors (CoG) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU), calling for termination of the deal.
Complaints were made about the lucrative remuneration the Cuban doctors have been receiving including comprehensive medical coverage under the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), with their utility bills totally covered.
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