Health CS nominee to review and report impact of Kenya-Cuba exchange programme

Dr Debra Barasa, the Cabinet Secretary nominee for Health has promised to review the impact of the six-year exchange programme between Cuba and Kenya and make the report public if approved to the docket.

She was responding to a question by Saku Member of Parliament Dido Ali Rasso who wanted to get her view of the impact of the programme.

"Almost four years ago we sent Kenyan doctors to Cuba and also Kenyan doctors came to Kenya. We never heard any feedback, I really want to hear from you on what has been that feedback whether positive or negative, if there are any positive things, what is it that we can borrow from the Cuban Health System," the MP asked.

The programme saw 100 Cuban doctors fly to Kenya in 2017 to fill in gaps in the local healthcare system as 50 other Kenyan doctors flew to the North American country for specialised training sessions.

"I have not been to the ministry, I will be new to the ministry and this will be a priority agenda. So, I will review and make a report to parliament," said Dr Barasa

The programme was however terminated in October last year, after complaints from stakeholders largely local doctors under their union, Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union (KMPDU) that the foreign doctors were earning better but offering less expertise compared to local doctors.

In March of last year, the union's Secretary General, Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah, also asked for an assessment of their work, calling the contract a "waste of human resources."

He further asked the senate to ensure the non-renewal of their contract that was expiring in June of the same year.

True to the union's demands, the contract was not extended and the government did not declare the successes achieved from the programme.

Dr Barasa, a medical doctor who has been in clinical practice from 2007 to 2020 further said she had been compliant with her practice licence renewals the entire time she worked in the country.

In 2020, however, she said she joined the World Health Organisation as a policy advisor tasked with giving strategic direction and technical advice to various countries in the Afro-region.

The countries included 22 in East and Southern Africa and the 47 member states also supported by WHO in the Afro-region.

With WHO being an international, independent entity with no affiliation to any member states, she revealed that she stopped renewing her licence since her "work and capacity was at international level."

"Once the president nominated me as cabinet secretary, because of the courtesy and respect and coming back into the Kenyan medical environment as well as the office of the Cabinet Secretary I renewed my clinical practice," she explained.

If approved, Dr Barasa will succeed Susan Nakhumicha who was fired by President William Ruto two weeks ago.