Tanzania on Saturday agreed to
send 500 doctors to Kenya to help address medics shortage in the country.
Tanzania to assist Kenya with 500 medical 's is President
— SAM (@The_Optics)
The country's president John Magufuli said the doctors will also help mitigate the
effects of just ended strike.
The doctors ended their 100-day strike on Tuesday.
Health CS Cleopa Mailu, PS Nicholas Muraguri, Council of Governors chair Peter Munya and KMPDU secretary general Ouma Oluga signed the deal.
Read:
"Tunapeleka madaktari 500. Wako madaktari ambao hawafanyi kazi sasa hivi na tutawapeleka huko," Magufuli said when he was accompanied by Health CS Cleopa Mailu
in a press briefing in Tanzania.
It loosely translates to (We are taking 500 doctors to Kenya. We have doctors who are still not working and we will take them there).
He said the two countries agreed to pay the doctors handsomely and also pay for their accommodation.
"Bahati nzuri wenzetu wamekubali watalipa mshahara vizuri in terms of dollars na watawapa accomodation pamoja na security na tukaona hii ni mzuri," he said.
Loosely translates to (We are lucky Kenya has agreed to pay them well and cater for their
accommodation
and also provide security and we saw that this was good)
Magufuli said as East African countries they have to hold hands of their neighbours when they are in need.
Before they ended the strike, the government cancelled a Sh14.5 billion offer they made to them and said they would hire doctors afresh.
But the move to bring doctors from foreign countries was opposed by
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
Speaking during Council of Governors Devolution conference in Naivasha last month, Oparanya said
county bosses had not agreed to hire doctors afresh.
"During the meeting we did not resolve to hire doctors from specific countries. Foreign doctors might even ask for more than we can afford," he said.
Read: