The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) has partnered with other stakeholders to set up an examination centre for health practitioners seeking jobs abroad.
This is the second such facility in Africa after the first one was established in South Africa and will cut costs incurred by medical practitioners to write the mandatory examinations.
KMTC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Kelly Oluoch said the development hinged on the institution’s 2023-2027 strategic plan was a big relief for medical practitioners seeking jobs outside the country.
The examination centre, he added will unlock opportunities in the United States of America (USA), Canada, Australia and New Zealand where KMTC trained health personnel are on high demand.
“This facility is going to enable our graduands and other health practitioners to sit for the examinations here in the country further cutting costs incurred travelling to South Africa for the same exercise,” he said.
KMTC, he added has reviewed its curriculum to prepare students for the opportunities abroad as the government moves to address rising unemployment in the country.
This, he said has seen the institution which has 86 campuses and 66,296 students introduce foreign languages as part of the training.
“We have introduced French, German, Arabic and Amharic languages in our curriculum to make it easy for our students who are keen on working outside the country,” he said.
Speaking in Kisumu during an awards ceremony for the college, Dr Oluoch said KMTC has strengthened the training programmes to meet the demand for a competent health workforce locally and globally.
“We are cognizant of the fact that our graduates are on high demand. Since we produce enough for the local economy and international market, our goal is to become a globally competitive institution in training human resources for health,” he said.
To achieve this, the institution, he said has introduced research, innovation and consultancy services to address the demands of the sector.
The expanded mandate, he said will see the institution leverage on technology to offer solutions to the various challenges facing the health sector.
“Already we have partnered with the Ministry of Health to register Kenyans in Kisumu and Homa Bay counties for the Social Health Authority to ensure a smooth rollout,” he said.
Dr Oluoch said the institution was keen on leveraging technology to expand training opportunities and offer solutions to health sector challenges.
“With the increased student population we may not have all the resources to manage our physical causes. That is why we are taking advantage of the digital space to enhance access to our programmes” he said.
KMTC Board Chairman Joseah Cheruiyot lauded the government for allocating resources to the institution to roll out the initiatives.
Through the support, the college, he said has employed an additional 607 this financial year adding that focus was on enhancing the quality of the programmes to meet the demands of the market.
“I want to thank the government for the support we have received. We’re it not for this we could not have managed to roll out these ventures,” he said.
Lecturers and non-teaching staff who have shown exemplary performance were awarded in different categories.
By Chris Mahandara
