KMPDU lauds non-renewal of Cuban doctors’ contracts

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) has expressed support for the government’s decision to terminate the contracts of Cuban doctors who have been working in the country since 2018.

KMPDU, through Secretary General Dr. Davji Atellah, noted that the funds the government was spending on employing the few foreign medics could have been enough to put hundreds of their Kenyan counterparts in employment.

“KMPDU lauds the non-renewal of the Cuban contract. The cost of employing the 150 Cubans is enough to employ 500 Kenyan doctors. The government should now employ Kenyan doctors urgently,” he stated.

The remarks come after Health Cabinet Secretary Wafula Nakumicha, who spoke at the official launch of the Pre-National Human Resources for Health Dialogue on Wednesday, said the decision not to renew the Cuban medics program is because she is confident that Kenyan doctors are up to the task.

"As a ministry, I am confident that we will have a highly motivated workforce. Our very own healthcare professionals are committed to the cause,” she stated.

KMPDU has long been advocating for the termination of the Kenya-Cuba partnership deal, which its leadership – in the past – termed as a “waste of human resources.”

Dr. Atellah in March this year told a Senate committee that the scope of practicing medicine in both countries is worlds apart, hence the exchange program was unreasonable as there were numerous factors that would come into play.

He stated that Cuban doctors who were brought to the country were remunerated better at the expense of their Kenyan counterparts, whom he claimed offered better services.

To add on to this, the foreign medics also needed Kenyan clinicians to accompany them during their duties due to the aspect of language barrier.

“This was a waste of human resources. They were being housed by the counties, paid triple Kenyan doctor salaries and given a driver and security discriminatively against the Kenyan doctors offering better services,” said the KMPDU boss then.