Kenya: Government Cancels Cuban Doctors Deal

11 October 2023

By Kevin Rotich

Nairobi — Health Cabinet Secretary (CS) Susan Nakhumicha has announced that the government will not be renewing a deal with Cuban doctors.

Instead, the CS said that the country will count on local healthcare professionals who are up to task.

“As a ministry, I am confident that we will have a highly motivated workforce,” the CS was quoted on the Ministry of Health X page.

“We have decided not to renew the agreement with the Cuban doctors. Our very own healthcare professionals are committed to the cause,” she added.

Then Health CS Sicily Kariuki signed a deal with Cuba, allowing its 100 healthcare specialists to work in the country.

In return, Kenya was to send 50 doctors to Havana to be trained in family medicine.

However, medical unions such as the Kenya Medical Association (KMA) and the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPPDU) disagreed with the move.

They argued that the state should have employed local medical care specialists before looking for help elsewhere.

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