Sh1.5b kitty to train health staff created

By LONAH KIBET

A Sh1.5 billion kitty has been established to address the shortage of special skills in the health sector.

The five-year Afya Elimu Fund targets certain cadres of health workers.

The kitty will provide financial assistance to support pre-service training for students in specific areas of nursing, clinical medicine, laboratory services, nutrition, and health records information technology.

The project brings together the private sector, Government, and development partners.

Not enough staff

Dr Simon Mueke from the Ministry of Health noted that while the health sector in the country has been expanding, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of health workers.

Mueke said although most health centres and other Government-sponsored health institutions have been upgraded, the doctors and nurses ratio to the population stands at 1: 6,000 and 1: 1,2000 respectively.

This, he said, falls short of the World Health Organisation requirement of 1: 1000 and 1: 300-500 respectively. 

“This is because we do not have adequate health financing to address this key pillar namely, human resource, of the health system,” he said.

Kenya Healthcare Federation CEO Amit Thakker said they were coming in to ensure that the training corresponds to the needs.

The fund will also cater for advanced training in priority areas with an aim to increase the pool of experts in different medical fields. It attaches a high premium to the underserved and severely affected areas of the country.

Some of the partners in the fund include the Higher Education Loans Board, Usaid-funded FUNZOKenya, Capacity Kenya Projects, the Kenya Healthcare Federation, National Treasury, Vision 2030 and the ministries of Education and Health.