County Bosses Warn Against Sending Nurses Abroad

The government's decision to send nurses abroad for employment has come under heavy censure from governors due to the country's severe shortage of medical personnel.

The Kenya Kwanza administration has announced plans to dispatch nurses to Saudi Arabia where there are reportedly over 2,500 available positions. However, local leaders are strongly opposing this decision, arguing that it is counterproductive to export healthcare workers when there is already a significant shortage at home. Council of Governors (CoG) Health Committee Chairperson Muthomi Njuki Health Committee conveys disappointment with the decision, highlighting the imbalance between healthcare supply and demand. He emphasizes the importance of retaining skilled professionals within the country while considering the possibility of exporting surplus personnel.

The Tharaka Nithi Governor says it is ironic to invest heavily in training healthcare workers only to send them abroad, leaving local facilities understaffed. To address this issue, Njuki proposes that countries benefiting from Kenyan healthcare workers should provide compensation to cover the costs of their training. He refers to a previous agreement where Kenya sent nurses to the United Kingdom, emphasizing the need to approach such agreements from a financial perspective to minimize the impact on local healthcare systems.

Counties are grappling with the burden of paying salaries for medical personnel on study leave. The governor emphasizes the need for the Ministry of Health to step in and take responsibility for these salaries to ease the pressure on local governments. Furthermore, the governor stresses the importance of prioritizing specialized healthcare training to address the shortage of doctors in areas such as oncology and radiology.

“We are requesting the Ministry of Health to pay salaries for the doctors on study leave while they are away to enable county governments the ability to cover the gaps that they leave,” he says.