Public Health PS Mary Muthoni has defended the government’s plan to export qualified health professionals to other countries, saying it will ease the rate of unemployment locally.

Muthoni said the plan seeks to accommodate the thousands of health professionals, especially nurses, who regularly graduate from local colleges and universities.

She said each year over 20,000 nurses graduate from the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and other institutions with only a few getting local employment.

The PS said data has necessitated the move to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with foreign countries to export the personnel.

Kenya has signed MoUs on health partnership with the UK, which will see 20,000 nurses exported to work in UK hospitals by next year.

The government last year signed a bilateral labour agreement with Saudi Arabia seeking to regulate the export of skilled workforce to the Gulf nation with 2,500 nurses set to benefit.

Muthoni dismissed governors’ concerns over the high number of health professionals leaving the country, noting that Kenya has more qualified nurses than it can absorb and that the move will not jeopardise local healthcare services.

“The government strives to ensure the range of trained healthcare professionals are compatible and adhere to both local and international health standards while discharging their duties,” said the PS.
She spoke in Naivasha during a stakeholders’ meeting to develop the Quality of Care Bill, 2024.