KMTC Challenged to Expand Training to Cater for a Growing Market

The government has challenged the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) to set up an Italian language course in the College to prepare students for foreign jobs.

Health Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe said that the government will continue to expand job opportunities for unemployed Kenyans following the signing of a bilateral agreement with the United Kingdom and Italian governments.

“As you are aware, we are not going to send anybody to Italy who cannot speak the Italian language. That is why we are banking on KMTC to introduce Italian language course,” he said.

He noted that the country graduates over 11,000 nurses and midwives yearly, adding that “as a government, we would not wish to see our trained nurses jobless while they are critically needed elsewhere”.

The government is also considering fast-tracking a bilateral agreement with the Kuwaiti government to export healthcare workers. “We will embark on this agreement once we send enough nurses to the UK,” noted Sen. Kagwe.

Kenya has a total of 60,579 registered nurses and midwives, with the public sector accounting for 38,000, while the rest are in the private sector.

The CS noted that Kenya is not sending nurses abroad at the expense of the healthcare system in the country, indicating that the country has more than enough nurses needed.

Sen. Kagwe was speaking on Monday (June 27, 2022) in Nairobi during the flagging off the first batch of nurses to work in the the United Kingdom.

KMTC Board Chairperson Amb. Zachary Muburi-Muita reaffirmed that the College will continue to produce qualified health professionals for both local and international markets.

The College recently introduced English Language Training Programme to build English and occupational skills for migrating health workers.

Kenya is expected to send some 20,000 nurses to the UK in an agreement inked between the two countries when President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the UK in July last year.

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