According to Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha, the private sector employs 62 percent of the country’s 14, 829 doctors.
Further, pursuant to the report submitted to the Senate Health Committee, Nakhumicha, only 3, 930 doctors are on the public sector payroll across the country.
“Our greatest challenge is the maldistribution of doctors, with 62 percent working in the private sector and 38 percent working in the public sector, with the majority in major urban areas,” the CS wrote in her report.
She also expressed concerns that medical specialists, owing to the unique nature of the required work environment, are mostly found in larger hospitals with certain unique facilities.
“The ministry together with the Council of Governors and other agencies are working on a framework for optimizing their training and utilization of medical specialists equitably,” she explained.
Nakhumicha was responding to a question from Nominated Senator Hamida Kibwana on the crisis of unemployed Kenyan doctors on February 23, 2023.
In the statement, the senator asked the government if there are any plans to address doctor unemployment in Kenya.
In accordance with the World Health Organisation, a workforce density of 23 health professionals per 10,000 population is recommended.
According to Dr. Nakhumicha, the density of doctors, nurses, and clinical officers per 10,000 people in Kenya has more than doubled, rising from 14.47 percent in 2006 to 30.14 percent in 2021.
“Cumulatively, big progress made Kenya among the leading countries in the region but still has a 32 percent gap to achieving the 4.45 per 1000 Sustainable Development Goal threshold index,” she stated.
