Kenya and Cuba have pledged to enhance bilateral relations in the field of research, vaccines and pharmaceutical products as the former moves to implement further reforms in the health sector.
In a meeting with Health Cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe on Tuesday, outgoing Cuba’s ambassador to Kenya, Ernesto Gómez Díaz said his country remains committed to provide technical support to Kenya as demonstrated by the presence of specialist Cuban doctors in the country who are part of a medical exchange programme between the two nations.
“We already have 53 doctors in the country with a further 15 expected to arrive soon. Our doctors are happy to work in Kenya,” said Diaz.
The 53 are part of 101 specialist doctors expected in the country following a request by county administrations. The new cooperation agreement was signed between Kenya and Cuba during a visit by the health CS to Cuba in June this year.
According to Kagwe, the government is looking for enhanced cooperation including partnerships between Kenyan institutions like KEMRI and their Cuban counterparts in an effort to bridge existing knowledge gap through medical research.
“The relationship between our two countries can only get better and deeper because we have an institutional framework that goes beyond individual involvement. Having seen the management of Cuba we have a lot to share and learn from each other.” Observed the Health CS.
Citing his recent visit to the Caribbean nation, the CS said Kenya has picked key lessons from Cuba’s highly successful primary health care delivery model.
“During my visit to Cuba, we discussed about training and exchange of nurses. On training, I was impressed by a program on medical administration. We find the course on hospital management quite unique. We want to start engagement on this immediately,” said the CS.
And with Cuba’s Abdalla and Soberana vaccines awaiting regulatory approval from the World Health Organisation for use in the management of Covid-19, Kagwe said Kenya is looking at enhanced corporation as it moves to establish its own human vaccine production facility with the construction of a fill and finish facility almost complete.
At the same time, the health CS reiterated Kenya’s commitment to secure the safe release of Cuban doctors who were abducted by suspected alshabaab militants.
Diaz congratulated Kenya following a decision by the UK government to strike it out from its red list in a development that is set to ease travel of citizens between the two countries saying the move will help boost Kenya’s tourism sector which had been hit hard by the corona virus pandemic.
The Kenyan government began implementing a health agreement signed with Cuba in 2017 which is expected to build the capacity of Kenya in specialized medical fields.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.
