•Kisii University has set aside 65 acres of land to house a hospital campus with a 1,000 bed capacity.
•The centre will be a regional hub for healthcare research, innovation and training of advanced level medical personnel for Kenya and Eastern Africa countries.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
Four universities within the Lake Region Economic Bloc will establish a centre of excellence in health education and training in the region.
Vice chancellors Isaac Kibwage (Egerton), John Akama (Kisii), Julius Nyabundi (Maseno) and Solomon Shibairo (Masinde Muliro) signed the MOU to set up the East Africa Centre of Excellence in Health Education and Training at Kisii University.
Health PS Susan Mochache, LREB chairman and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, governors James Ongwae (Kisii), Anyang' Nyong'o (Kisumu) and Cornel Rasanga(Siaya) witnessed the signing in Kisumu on Monday.
Already, Kisii University has set aside 65 acres of land to house a hospital campus with a 1,000 bed capacity hospital, a comprehensive research centre, theatres, laboratories and schools of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, biomedical sciences and nursing.
The project is part of the Kenya UK Health Alliance that was signed by Kenya and UK on July 29, 2020 in London.
The centre will be a regional hub for healthcare research, innovation and training of advanced level medical personnel for Kenya and Eastern Africa countries.
The partner universities will collaborate to promote specialist health care and research in Non Communicable Diseases,Malaria, HIV and AIDS, sickle cell disease, mental health and substance abuse, community health ,infectious diseases and respiratory diseases.
With funding from the UK Export Finance, an estimated Sh30 billion will be invested in the project.
Mochache said the Ministry of Health acknowledges the commitment of the 14 counties in the region along with the universities involved. The project, she said, will be a catalyst for transformative healthcare service delivery not only in the Lake region but the entire country.
“It will make counties offer better services and encourage us to offer medical tourism from our East African neighbours, " the PS said.
Mochache pledged to work together to develop a resilient and flexible multi-professional health workforce with strong inter professional working skills capable of dealing with the rising incidences of Non Communicable Diseases.
Oparanya said the project will ensure sustained human resource development in the health sector bringing equity to guarantee sustainable service delivery.
“I applaud the collective effort in initiating the KUKHA Memorandum of Understanding and the leadership of Kisii county in the health pillar. I give our blessings as LREB and assure the team of our continued support," he said.
Ongwae urged stakeholders to commit energies to actualise cooperation in establishing the centre, sustainable and quality health services delivery, knowledge exchange and research for mutual benefit.
“This project will help stem medical tourism to other countries and have a great impact on the local economy,” he said.
Akama said the centre will be a game changer in Western Kenya and East African region. “It will develop innovation and research in healthcare and improve the quality of services offered in the region and be a key pillar in the realization of Kenya vision 2030,” he said.
The don said the centre is expected to attract students from the whole East African region and help them access education of the highest global standard.
It will collaborate with the best hospitals and doctors in the world, exchange students and lecturers, and research protocols between Kenya and UK.
Once the pilot phase has been successfully implemented, the programme will be rolled out to other counties to realise the Universal Health Care agenda.
KUKHA brings together Kenya and UK Institutions among them universities, teaching hospitals and research institutions collaborating on health. It provides a platform for bilateral knowledge exchange and capacity improvement.
Vice President University of Manchester Prof Graham Lord said the project will be a financially self-sufficient centre through recruitment of overseas students.
In July 2021, Lord Dr Richard Cowan of Christie Hospital, John Wareing of the University of Manchester Foundation Trust and Kenya's High Commissioner to UK Manoah Esipisu signed the KUKHA MoU.
One major KUKHA programme in Kenya is the setting up of an oncology centre of excellence at the Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital that was unveiled by President Uhuru Kenyatta recently.
(Edited by Francis Wadegu)