The National Employment Authority has opened the programme to the agencies who will meet specified qualifications.
The agency has disclosed that the recruitment process will be undertaken by the government through the licensed and accredited private employment agencies.
Image: COURTESY
Private agencies who wish to participate in the recruitment of nurses to work in the UK have been given up to next week to submit their applications.
The National Employment Authority announced private agencies will be allowed to participate in the recruitment but only after meeting specific qualifications.
NEA said the process will be undertaken by the government through licensed and accredited private recruitment agencies.
To qualify, the agencies will be required to have a valid registration certificate from the authority. They must also have facilitated at least 150 migrant workers to work abroad and must have facilitated pre-departure training of migrant workers.
They will also be required to have the financial ability to undertake service contracts requiring a huge financial out-pay of liquidity of cash equivalent to Sh10 million.
“The agency must be familiar with medical health assessment of migrant workers by International Organization for Immigration(IOM),” the authority said in a statement.
Other qualifications include familiarity with English language tests from the British Council, international English language testing systems and computer-based tests.
“The agency must have been submitting quarterly returns from NEA and must have no unresolved complaints.”
Kenya is expected to send at least 20,000 nurses to the UK in a span of three years in an agreement inked between the two countries when President Uhuru Kenyatta visited London in July.
The governments of Kenya, UK and Northern Ireland signed a bilateral agreement on July 29 for collaboration in the healthcare workforce.
The deal allows Kenyan healthcare professionals to be recruited to work in the National Health Service of the UK.
The Labour ministry through the National Employment Authority has been mandated with the implementation in the recruitment and facilitation of qualified candidates to the UK in collaboration with the Health ministry.
“The visit is also meant to explore ways of strengthening the health system back in the country to make Kenya have global standards in training and patient care in addition to addressing unemployment for our nurses,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.
The team held meetings in London with the UK Department of Health and Socialcare, National Health Service, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Oxford Hospital Foundation Trust and Manchester University and Christie Foundation Hospital.
Among areas of interest in the deal is the improvement of treatment, prevention and management of cancer in Kenya.
“From Covid-19 vaccines and genomic sequencing to exchanges on cancer research and treatment to help Kenya treat more cancer patients at home, the UK has a long and proud history of support for Kenya’s health sector,” UK ambassador to Kenya Jane Marriot said.
The nurses’ union has since welcomed the deal signed, saying it will help create employment opportunities for more than 30,000 unemployed nurses in the country.
Kenya National Union of Nurses secretary general Seth Panyako said the move will also diversify the skills of nurses who are currently in practice to gain experience in international health practice standards.