Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki on Wednesday disclosed that the 100 medical specialists from Cuba would undergo a series of tests before getting to deployed to different parts of Kenya.
In a statement issued to newsrooms by the Ministry, the CS stated that the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board (MPDB) had been put been in charge of assessing the doctors.
“The Ministry of Health has instructed the MPDB to carry out an assessment exercise, before recommendation to the Public Service Commission (PSC) on the suitability of the medical specialists to work in Kenya
"Once cleared, they will be registered and deployed and their practice will be governed by the rules and regulations set by the Kenyan medical board," her statement read in part.
[caption caption="Health CS Sicily Kariuki"]
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She added that the specialists selected were to bridge gaps in county's health sectors by utilizing the Sh38 billion worth of Managed Service Equipment(MES).
"Let it also not be lost on the public that the government has continually posted doctors across the country on a needs basis. However, most doctors that have been posted to hardship regions seek transfers to urban areas with others resigning from the public health sector altogether," she explained.
She clarified that while importing the Cuban doctors, the Kenyan government would still embark on training Kenyan professionals
Earlier in April, a memo revealed that counties would be responsible for the doctors' housing, transport and security.
"Moreover, county governments need to prepare to take up these specialists including their housing, transport and security before the doctors arrive and are deployed to the county hospitals," the memo read in part.
President Uhuru Kenyatta reached a deal to import 100 specialists from Cuba to counter the shortage in county hospitals.
50 Kenyan doctors are to be sent to Cuba for specialist training as part of the partnership agreement.
[caption caption="President Uhuru Kenyatta"]
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