SAM’S SENSE: Meet Dr. Volunteer

Tonight, my thoughts are with the young Kenyans who devote their lives, their imagination and strength and dedication to serving humanity. Those that spend their time in school understanding the human anatomy with a view to being the much-needed relief when humanity falls sick. Those young Kenyans who today are in class in a health science related course, understanding various diseases, the diagnosis required, the treatment regimens and more importantly the care required to save lives.

For far too long, however, the Kenyan government both at the national and county level has displayed ways condescending and insensitive to this crucial segment of our society. Presently, doctors are on strike complaining about among other things the delayed posting of medical interns, a crucial one-year-long step that makes a medicine graduate a doctor.

For starters, it takes a doctor at least six years of study in Kenya to qualify for internship. Six years, longer than a presidential term. Six years of pure dedication with zero tolerance to casualness like what we see with government officials dealing with the doctors’ issue.

Let’s do the Math. To pursue medicine in Kenya will cost you Ksh.612,000 at Moi University every academic year that usually runs for three terms. In six years, that translates to over Ksh.3.6 million of investment. Families must foot this bill should they opt for a self-sponsored programme or co-fund with the government based on the family’s economic status.

Based on the current university-funding model, a medicine student who opts for funding through the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) may end up with a loan of over Ksh.2 million before finding a medical internship opportunity. And they are supposed to repay the loan.

You see, for a student who enrolls in first year at the age of 19, they will be 26 years old by the time they finish their internship, and that is if the internship opportunity is made available immediately after completing university studies. Most doctors are registered to practice at the age of 27 or 28. These remember are the top crème of their KCSE classes.

In a country where unemployment has become a campaign tool; a country where every leader who imagines they have something to offer encourages people to find technical skills. In a country where the government’s biggest invention thus far in fighting unemployment is the Affordable Housing programme, which according to the government’s unverified figures has generated over 110,000 jobs at construction sites; one cannot help but wonder, do we really have a strategy to honour or at least respect our best brains?

You see, the government is confident to raise over Ksh.100 billion in housing levy. The same government complains that over 3,000 doctors are jobless. The same government complains that our hospitals have inadequate resources: from human, to financial, infrastructural to even technical. And the same government, at least according to the Health Cabinet Secretary, knows some 50 doctors who are willing to take their medical internship for free just to qualify for registration to practice.

We pride that Kenya has some of the best human resources on the continent. In fact, the human capital index shows Kenya leads Africa.

But I have a few questions: how many medical specialists do we have? Nephrologists, obstetrician-gynaecologists? Oncologists? Cardiologists? Neurosurgeons? How about endocrinologists for a country that continuously struggles with cases of diabetes? For a country that continuously is having to deal with severe medical complications that have reduced Kenyans to beggars, who have to travel thousands of miles in search of medical attention.

And yet, a hopeful medical intern must wait until Afya House is convinced they are important enough. These are the same people that in a few years should be inspired enough to go back to school to specialize. What’s our plan to train them further and maintain them, selfishly for ourselves knowing there is serious clamour for medical specialists the world over? And ooh! Didn’t we hear recently Governors complaining of medical brain drain?

In the meantime, the younger people remain disoriented, as the older ones especially those in politics or those connected in politics chase the deal. A deal for quick money, as the naïve ones remain committed to the course of hard work. Hard work that doesn’t pay until it volunteers.

This does not make sense. But this, is my Sense tonight!