The Kenya Medical Association has demanded the termination of the Cuba scholarship program for Kenyan doctors.
This is following the death of their colleague Dr. Ali Juma Hamisi whom a section of doctors have claimed that he committed suicide following the frustrations he has been facing in the country.
According to KMA, there has been several complains of their colleagues being mistreated which the government has turned a deaf ear on.
“Since our colleagues were shipped off to Cuba, we have heard numerous complaints from them on the treatment they have been receiving from among others, representatives of our government. The death of our colleague is the last straw in this matter, and we demand greater accountability from the government as far as this deal is concerned.” Said Dr. Jacqueline Kitulu the KMA president.
She said that KMA was not in support of the exchange program treaty, to send their doctors to Cuba for training in exchange for the Cuba doctors to work in Kenya.
“About one year ago, the Government of Kenya entered into an agreement with the Government of Cuba to among other things import doctors from Cuba to work in Kenya, and to send our doctors to Cuba for training. At that time the Kenya Medical Association opposed the precipitate manner in which the deal was executed in complete disregard of established procedures for licensing and deployment of foreign medical personnel, and for selection of training programs for Kenyan doctors in this country and abroad.”
“We also indicated that many universities in this country offer Family Medicine training, and are willing to admit more than the fifty doctors for training at a lower cost than would be incurred on the Cuban training program, but this was similarly ignored.” She added.
The KMA, therefore, has demanded that their colleagues come back home and be placed in local institutions that offer family medicine training at the government cost.
Dr. Hamisi passed away on Sunday in Cuba where he had gone to pursue a Masters degree in Family medicine at the University of Medical Sciences in Havana, Cuba.
