The government of Kenya will not be renewing its contract with Cuban physicians, according to the cabinet secretary for health, Susan Nakhumicha.
Speaking at the Pre-National Human Resources for Health Dialogue’s official opening on Wednesday, at the Windsor Golf Hotel in Nairobi, CS Nakhumicha stated the initiative aims to coordinate all efforts centered on the local workforce.
The Health Cabinet Secretary expressed confidence that the Kenyan doctors will be committed to their jobs and be able to handle operations across the country.
Simultaneously, Nakhumicha added that the government is working hard to improve other parts of the healthcare system, such as health products, technologies, information, and financing.
In 2017, Kenya signed an agreement with Cuba under which Cuban doctors would visit the nation to assist in hospitals and Kenyan doctors would travel to Cuba for specialized training.
The first group of Cuban doctors, consisting of 53 family doctors and 47 specialists, arrived in the country in 2018, with an additional twenty specialists arriving in 2020.
However, the deal was clouded by controversy, as local health practitioners said they were being ignored.
Despite the criticism, retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta agreed to prolong the contract for another two years.
