Kenyan Govt Defends Its Decision Of Stopping Doctors From Leaving The Country For Greener Pastures

Susan Nakhumicha; the cabinet secretary for health, defended the contentious measure intended to control the emigration of Kenyan doctors yesterday.

Speaking before the Senate Standing Committee on Health, the CS argued that by enacting a strategy that guarantees proper and coordinated migration, the government actually wants to assist rather than impede immigration.  

However, the Cabinet Secretary was questioned about how the government had carried out the program; particularly after senators compared the limits to slavery.

”How distinct from slavery is this policy. Please show the difference between your policies and slavery if someone has moved on to greener pastures elsewhere and you’re clinging onto them while insisting I cannot release them,” Senator Edwin Sifuna of Nairobi asked.

Countering, the Cabinet Secretary emphasized that the government is working to protect the interests of the nation; particularly in light of the lengthy training requirements for health professionals.

“As a nation, we don’t want to train them for a while only to lose them to migration. The CS noted that the new trainees on the market would require time and resources to be trained to the level of a specialized health worker. 

The CS noted that certain categories of medical professionals, such as oncologists, carry enormous relevance for the nation’s healthcare system although conceding that the government is unable to absorb all doctors into the market. As a result, the government has put in place laws designed to keep such important professionals.

The CS claimed that because various health systems demand various sorts of training, the government should confer with other nations. 

Nakhumicha said, “We need to know the U.K. government has particular positions for nurses if they have to move to the U.K. 

As medical professionals migrate abroad in search of more lucrative opportunities, Kenya’s health system constantly experiences a brain drain. 

Many medical professionals leave Kenya because of the attraction of better pay packages abroad because such compensation is difficult to come by there.

Kenyan doctors are further motivated to look for employment abroad by grievances related to delayed salary payments, seasonal strikes, and terrible working conditions in public health facilities.

Due to the more hospitable and rewarding working environments offered by other nations, some doctors also elect to leave Kenya in order to start their own medical offices there.  

Read more:https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/91704-cs-nakhumicha-defends-policy-restricting-doctors-migration

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