The Ministry of Health has come forward to defend the government’s move to send over 2,500 trained nurses abroad, citing an excess of medical practitioners in the country.

Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni emphasized the country’s capacity to produce an adequate number of healthcare workers annually to meet the growing market demand. She stated, “We have thousands of trained nurses who are unemployed in the country and we should not deny them a chance to work abroad.”

This response comes in the wake of concerns raised by the Council of Governors (COG) Health Committee Chairperson Muthomi Njuki, who expressed worries about potential understaffing in hospitals due to the mass exodus of nurses. However, Muthoni downplayed these concerns, attributing the disagreement to a lack of information and assuring that the ministry would provide the Council of Governors with updated data.

Speaking at a press conference held at Lake Naivasha Resort after a meeting with stakeholders involved in the development of the Quality Health Bill of 2024, Muthoni highlighted the bill’s focus on evaluating the status of healthcare in the country, particularly infrastructure, operating systems, and human resources. The bill, slated to become law in three months, aims to conduct inspections of all public health centers to assess their status and align with the Social Health Act.

Acknowledging the challenges within the country’s healthcare system, including infrastructure issues and misplacement of experts, Muthoni expressed confidence in the bill’s potential to address these shortcomings. She stated, “We are working with development partners and stakeholders in formulating this bill, which will be a game-changer in the health sector.”