- The ministry announced the deployment of 1270 Diploma Clinical Officer interns on Thursday.
- This statement comes after Graduate medical students took to the streets to protest on February 12.
Image: MOH/ X
The Ministry of Health has initiated the process of deploying interns to various healthcare facilities nationwide.
In a statement on X, the ministry announced the deployment of 1270 Diploma Clinical Officer interns has begun.
“The Ministry of Health initiated the process of assigning interns to various healthcare facilities nationwide,” MOH said on X.
“Adan Harakhe, Director of Administration at the Ministry's State Department of Public Health and Professional Standards, oversaw the distribution of release letters to 1270 Diploma Clinical Officer Interns from a pool of 3752 across 6 cadres.”
Harakhe reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to seamless healthcare services delivery and vowed to review internship policies to ensure graduates provide high-quality healthcare services as mandated by the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
Dr. Sultani Matendechero, Deputy Director General for Health, emphasized the importance of health promotion and disease prevention during internships.
The ministry also added that the Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO) George Gibore, lauded the government's efforts to improve medical personnel welfare.
“Internship entails a one-year hands-on training for Clinical Officers, supplemented by six months of specialized training upon completion of the Higher Diploma, ensuring compliance with legal requirements for practice after graduation,” the Ministry assured.
This statement comes after Graduate medical students took to the streets to protest on February 12, over the delay by the Ministry of Health in posting them as medical interns.
Graduates were urging the Ministry of Health to place them as interns in health facilities across the country.
Association of Medical Students of the University of Nairobi (AMSUN) Chairman Muinde Nthusi said graduates have completed their rigorous medical training but are yet to be placed in internship positions.
"As recent graduates of medical school in Kenya, we wish to draw attention to the systemic delays in the posting of medical, pharmacy, and dental interns by the Ministry of Health," Nthusi said.
The AMSUN Chair noted that many graduates are still awaiting placement in internship centers, up to seven months after graduation.
In response to the graduates’ pledge, The Ministry of Health and Kenya Medical Practitioners Pharmacists and Dentists Union agreed that all interns will be posted beginning April 1, 2024.
KMPDU officials held a meeting with the ministry officials on Monday morning to unlock the stalemate surrounding the posting of interns.
The Ministry and the health union had clashed on the posting date for unions.