Kenyan doctors in pursuit to block the move to hire Cuban doctors amidst government's decision.
Kenyan doctors are seeking to block the government’s plan to
deploy 100 Cuban doctors to fill gaps in the country’s health care system. A
group of unemployed doctors filed a lawsuit against the move, arguing that as
citizens, they should have been hired first. But the Kenyan government has
defied a court order blocking it from hiring the Cubans.
Despite
opposition from Kenyan doctors and sections of the public, Kenyan health
officials are going forward with a plan to use Cuban doctors in the country’s
public health care facilities starting next month.
In
doing so, the government also is defying a court order suspending the
employment of some 100 doctors who arrived in the country last week.
A
petition was filed by four Kenyan doctors. Their lawyer, Anangwe Maloba, says
the doctors feel discriminated against in terms of employment and pay.
“We
are submitting that the decision to pay Cuban doctors a higher or a better
remuneration package than the local ones is discrimination, that they all ought
to be a similar remuneration, they ought to belong same job group. The second
point was that for the unemployed specialist doctors is that they are almost
171 specialist doctors who have not been able to secure employment to public
health facilities,” said Maloba.
Kenyan
media reports say the Cuban doctors will be paid at least $8,000 each month.
The doctors also will get free housing, transport and airfare.
Rashid
Aman, the chief administrative secretary at the Ministry of Health, says the
Cuban doctors are needed in county hospitals.
“Last
three years, 156 medical specialists completed their studies at the University
of Nairobi and Moi University, which are our two largest teaching hospitals and
were posted out to the counties. This number could not breach the gap in health
needs in Kenya,” he said.
However
according to Edgar Wachika, a lawyer for the Kenya Medical Practitioners,
Pharmacists and Dentists Union, says laws were not followed in recruiting
foreign doctors.
“The
union’s interest in the matter is to safeguard the interest of these Kenyan
doctors. Where these Kenyan doctors are not employed and there are positions
they could fill themselves. Yet these positions are offered to foreigners.
Obviously this does not sit well with the union and its members,” he said.
The
court of employment and labour relations is expected to issue a ruling next
week on the Cuban doctors. The question is, will the government heed its
decision?
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