Kenya has announced it will not renew its medical exchange agreement with Cuba

Archive image of Cuban doctors who provided services in Kenya during the pandemic. Photo: ACN / Archive.

The Kenyan government announced Wednesday that it will not renew a six-year agreement on medical exchanges with Cuba, international media reported.

Under the agreement, the African country hired Cuban doctors and sent them to the island for specialized training. A statement From the agency AP.

Kenyan Health Minister Ngumicha Wafula made the announcement at a meeting with health officials in Nairobi, US media reported.

In addition, Wafula said his ministry will ensure that the country’s health workers are “well taken care of”.

On the other hand, the office did not elaborate on when the agreement will come into force, and did not say whether the health chief provided any other relevant information.

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The infamous deal

AP The exchange program with Cuba is unpopular with Kenya’s main doctors’ association, explaining that Cuban doctors earn twice the average salary of their Kenyan colleagues.

Critics of the deal, including lawmakers, argue that the money Nairobi allocates to the program would be better invested in Kenya’s medical infrastructure and its own doctors.

According to the Kenya Wages and Wages Commission, cited AP, each Cuban doctor receives a monthly salary of about $5,300, while local doctors of the same category receive between $1,600 and $2,300. Cuban doctors also receive excellent travel expenses.

Agreement

Under the agreement signed in 2017, 50 Kenyans were sent to Cuba for specialized training, while 100 Cubans were sent to help improve services at district-level hospitals in Kenya, the US agency recalled.

In 2021, the two countries signed a new agreement, and it was announced that another hundred doctors from the island would be sent to the African country.

By then, on April 12, 2019, two years had passed since the abduction of surgeon Landy Rodriguez and general practitioner Azel Herrera while on their way to work at a hospital in the city of Mandera in northeastern Kenya. border with Somalia.

Now, more than four years have passed since the incident, which was carried out by members of the Somali jihadist group Al Shabaab, and their situation and whereabouts remain unclear. However, the Cuban and Kenyan governments have pledged to “continue efforts to secure his return.”

Kidnapping of Cuban doctors in Kenya continues for four years – OnCubaNews

Cuba peace

Cuban officials have yet to comment on Kenya’s announcement of non-renewal of the medical contract. Neither the Ministry of Public Health nor other official institutions and media have published anything about it on their sites and social media profiles.

The news of the deal’s termination is not entirely surprising due to pressure from politicians and trade union groups in Kenya, although it contradicts previous statements by senior leaders from both countries. Relations in the health sector.

After assuming the presidency in 2022, incumbent President William Ruto met with Cuba’s Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman, informing her of his government’s desire to strengthen ties with the island.

“The exchange of knowledge and skills in the health sector has strengthened relations between Kenya and Cuba. We look forward to more cooperation between our countries,” Ruto said on his Twitter account.

Most recently, a few weeks ago, Ruto thanked his counterpart Díaz-Canel during a meeting in New York for the relationship between the two countries, “especially in the health sector”.

“We will continue to strengthen and expand these relationships to foster partnerships that transform people’s lives,” the Kenyan president added.