•It will help improve prevention and management of cancer in Kenya, and promote Kenya a regional hub for cancer treatment.
•British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott said health partnership with Kenya is 30 years old and growing stronger by the month.
Image: FILE
Unemployed nurses and health workers from Kenya will have the chance to work in the UK as part of a new scheme.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid and Labour CS Simon Chelugui, signed the agreement on Kenyan recruitment into the UK’s National Health Service.
This was part of a request by President Uhuru Kenyatta during his trip to London.
The agreement is open to qualified, but unemployed health professionals.
Kenya has over 5,000 unemployed health workers.
The President also witnessed the signing of the Kenya-UK Health Alliance, which will bring together UK and Kenyan institutions – universities, teaching hospitals – cooperating on health partnerships.
One of the flagship partnerships is on improving cancer treatment for Kenyans, thanks to a tie-up between Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital and the University of Manchester/Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
It will help improve prevention and management of cancer in Kenya, and promote Kenya a regional hub for cancer treatment.
British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriott said health partnership with Kenya is 30 years old and growing stronger.
The new deal allows the two countries to share skills and expertise and is a fantastic opportunity for Kenyans to work in the UK.
“From Covid-19 vaccines and genomic sequencing, to exchanges on cancer research and treatment to help Kenya treatment more cancer patients at home, the UK has a long and proud history of support for Kenya’s health sector," she said.
"The signing of the Kenya-UK Health Alliance by President Kenyatta on his visit to the UK is the latest chapter in our flourishing partnership.”
UK’s Secretary of State for Health Javid, said Kenya and UK have a historic and mutually respectful relationship.
"This has been strengthened by working closely with Kenya during the pandemic and sharing UK vaccine doses to support Kenya’s fight against COVID-19," he said.
“Our healthcare agreement will make the most of UK and Kenyan health expertise which will be beneficial to both countries, with the exchange of knowledge and training which will provide first class healthcare.”
This comes after a flurry of announcements of UK support for Kenya’s Covid-19 response.
On 28 July, Prime Minister Johnson confirmed the donation of 817,000 Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine doses for Kenya – half a bilateral donation, and half a UK donation through the COVAX facility – while earlier this month we announced new support on genomic sequencing with KEMRI to tackle emerging COVID-19 variants.
Kenyan and British scientists at KEMRI and Oxford University were closely involved in the development of the AstraZeneca vaccine, through trials of the vaccine through KEMRI Kilifi.