This archive report was first published on 19 July 2020.
Kenya has welcomed a team of 20 Cuban doctors to support the country's fight against COVID-19. The doctors, who are specialists in internal medicine, oncology, cardiology, renal, and pediatrics, will be based at the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH).
According to Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, the Cuban doctors will be paid on the same rates as their local counterparts. This decision has been made to ensure that the doctors are treated fairly and equally.
"We are not paying more than what we pay our own (doctors) and I want this to be noted clearly," Kagwe said. "It is a small brigade of doctors who are specialists in their own areas who have come to help us, we learn from them and they also learn from us," he added.
Kenya has been struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, with 688 new cases reported on Saturday from 4,522 samples. The national tally now stands at 12,750.
President Kenyatta personally made a phone call to his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel to request the deployment of the doctors. The doctors will offer their services in the country for a period of three months, with a possible extension.
Kenya and Cuba have a long-standing partnership in the field of medicine, with Kenya facilitating the training of Cuban doctors in the country.
Published on July 19, 2020, at 3:01 AM.
