160+ Tanzanian Doctors Headed for Kenya
Local Editor
More than 160 Tanzanian doctors have so far expressed willingness to work in Kenya, the Tanzanian government said.
By end of Tuesday, some 160 medics registered to take up the assignment.
Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said Kenya and Tanzania agreed to protect the welfare of the medics, noting that they will be paid based on the rates set by Kenya government for the profession.
Although Tanzania is equally facing a shortage of doctors, she said, it can only employ 500 doctors out of the more 2,000 on the streets.
"On involving the Medical Association of Tanganyika, I would like to emphasize that the decisions were made based on consultations between the two heads of state and we found that the agreement is beneficial," Mwalimu said.
"However, [the] important thing is that the agreement does not force anyone to go and work in Kenya."
Kenya asked Tanzania for doctors following a crippling strike that lasted for more than 100 days.
Meanwhile, Tanzania has allayed fears on the safety of the doctors expected to start working in Kenya next month.
The fears were sparked by a letter that the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union [KMPDU] wrote to the Medical Association of Tanzania [MAT], asking Tanzanian doctors not to go to work in Kenya.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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