The government has committed Sh9.316 billion towards the deployment and training of 6,784 healthcare interns under the 2026/2027 Internship Programme as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s health workforce and accelerate the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The interns comprise 875 medical officers, 69 dental officers, 616 pharmacists, 2,424 Bachelor of Science nursing officers, 705 Bachelor of Science clinical officers, and 2,096 diploma clinical officers.
According to the Ministry of Health, the deployment comes at a critical time as Kenya rolls out reforms aimed at improving access to affordable and quality healthcare services across the country.
The interns are expected to support key national health priorities, including implementation of the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan, the Maternal and Newborn Health Rapid Results Initiative, operationalisation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), quality improvement programmes, and continued digitisation of healthcare services.
Speaking during the deployment exercise, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale called on the interns to maintain high standards of professionalism, integrity, and compassionate care throughout their internship period.
“The interns will contribute significantly to expanding access to quality, equitable, and people-centred healthcare services while helping improve health outcomes and public trust in the healthcare system,” he said.
The ministry noted that the internship program was delivered through close collaboration between the Ministry of Health, county governments, professional regulatory bodies, training institutions, professional associations, unions, and development partners.
It added that the partnership has strengthened fairness, transparency, and efficiency in the placement process while ensuring healthcare workers are distributed more equitably across the country.
The Cabinet Secretary further said the government's commitment to building a stronger health workforce, citing ongoing plans to transition universal health coverage staff to permanent and pensionable employment terms.
He said KSh 8.9 billion has already been allocated in the current financial year to support the transition following a directive from the president.
The ministry also announced plans to recruit 5,000 nurses and midwives under the EWENE initiative to support efforts aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths.
Comments
Sign in with Google to comment, reply, and like comments.
Continue with Google