Reject Foreign Doctor Imports: How Kenya Increases Domestic Health Capacity

The signing of a collaboration between the Kenyan and Cuban governments to bring in doctors from Cuba. (representishi.com)

JAKARTA - The African continent has experienced the pain of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kenya, especially. Every day the number of virus transmissions from Wuhan, China increased sharply. The health system in Kenya became disrupted -- collapsed. Hospitals are full. Health workers (nakes) especially doctors are very lacking.

The government did not want to bother. The option to increase the quota of imported doctors from Cuba is seen as a solution to restore the health system in Kenya. Instead of being welcomed, the plan was rejected by all Kenyan health workers and doctors.

The emergence of the corona virus in China has brought panic throughout the world. The transmission of the virus, which is super fast, hits the respiratory system as the estuary. No country is really ready to face COVID-19. China has to the village.

The policies issued were too late. The spread of the corona virus has become uncontrollable. The virus from Wuhan began to spread throughout the world, from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The corona virus has even intensified hitting the African continent.

This condition is because in Africa without COVID-19 alone life is already so difficult. Take for example Kenya in early 2020. The presence of the corona virus in Kenya is depicted in a language like falling on a ladder as well.

The Kenyan government failed to anticipate COVID-19. The impact of the transmission is getting more massive. The number of those who have lost their lives continues to grow. Health workers are mainly overwhelmed doctors. Hospitals are full and medicines are running low.

Health workers who incidentally were at the forefront of fighting COVID-19 actually got tired. The narrative was because many health workers and doctors were also infected with the corona virus. Some of them died. This condition is due to the slow reign of the President, Uhuru Kenyatta who recruited new health workers and brought personal protective equipment.

This situation made the hospital atmosphere in Kenya tense. However, the Kenyan government was unable to handle the situation. Communication between the government and the health sector is bad. A condition that makes many health workers in the hospital while struggling individually.

In fact, the Kenyan government has a large budget to handle COVID-19. Unfortunately, the budget was reportedly corrupted. Health workers and doctors did not remain silent. They unite to criticize the government.

They want their lives at the forefront of resistance to the corona virus to be considered. They ask for bonuses and more allowances for participation in the fight against COVID-19. This concern is considered to increase the spirit and mentality of health workers.

Doctors demand quality protective equipment, comprehensive health insurance, salaries paid on time, promotions and compensation packages, as well as job exemptions for doctors who are pregnant or who have congenital health conditions. Trade union officials also urge the government to hire 1,000 unemployed doctors to address labor shortages.

The strike of doctors in the past has been going on for months, and the strike this time is timeless. Mercy Mwandani, head of the ministry's administrative secretary, said in a press conference on Friday that a number of areas had improved hospital conditions and protective equipment and that the ministry was negotiating with health workers," wrote Abdi Latif Dahir in his writing on The New York Times website titled Kenya's Health Workers, Unprotected and Falling Ill, Walk Off Job(2020).

Refuse Imports of Foreign Doctors

Chaos and confusion due to COVID-19 continue to emerge in Kenya. The government is like taking a role. They tried to get back out with an instant solution. The Kenyan government wants to increase the import of doctors from Cuba.

The solution was issued because importing foreign doctors was nothing new in Kenya. The Kenyan government has collaborated with Cuba in the health sector. The Kenyan government then imported 100 doctors from the Cuba in 2017.

47 specialist doctors and 53 family doctors each. The arrival of the foreign doctor caused social inequality. Cuban doctors are more respected and their welfare is guaranteed than local doctors. Their salary is only double that of doctors from Kenya.

Health workers and local doctors also don't want the same incident to keep repeating itself in 2020. Gelora rejects the government's plan to bring in more Cuban doctors everywhere. Many of them took to the streets to continue to criticize the government's steps.

Even though Kenya is in critical condition because the number of people with the corona virus is increasing. The Association of Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Kenyan Dental Doctors (KMPDU) continues to refuse imports of foreign doctors. They said there were around 1,000 local doctors who were unemployed in Kenya.

They asked the government to immediately hire local doctors rather than import foreign doctors again, which is not necessarily a solution. The government continues to consider discourse on bringing in imports of doctors.

The new Cuban government really ended cooperation in the health sector with Cuba in 2023. The Kenyan government no longer imports foreign doctors from Cuba. The decision was taken to increase the capacity of domestic health workers.

"Imports of Cuban doctors by the government are unpleasant. We have qualified health workers who have been trained with taxpayers' money, but the government does not consider them. With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, these specialist doctors will assist our doctors in managing diseases and exchanging skills," added KMPDU Secretary General Chibanzi Mwachonda, quoted by Anadolu Ajansmen's website, July 22, 2020.