Hospitals train surgeons in plan to improve healthcare

Twenty-four hospitals have been approved to train surgeons, in a major effort to increase the number of specialists.

At least 127 doctors are currently enrolled in the new five-year programme in general surgery, the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board said.

The trainees already have the basic degree in medicine and must have worked for two years.

This new hospital-based training will complement the old system where specialists were only trained at the University of Nairobi.

“The hospital-based training is the best in a devolved system because the doctors will be based in one hospital for their entire training period,” KMPDB CEO Daniel Yumbya told the Star.

The old system is responsible for the measly 392 general surgeons available for the 45 million Kenyans.

This translates to only one general surgeon for 115,000 people.

Experts say to maintain acceptable access to surgical care, there should be about eight general surgeons for every 100,000 people.

“The new system is borrowed from the US where doctors take hospital-based training and do not move from their stations, as opposed to the university-based training,” Yumbya said.

He said the new system would churn out more specialists to support the Universal Health Coverage.

Eleven of the hospitals were approved this year and will enroll 22 residents every year.

Embu Teaching and Referral Hospital has already advertised for two residency positions in general surgery beginning this month.

CEO Dr Moses Njue said applicants must be registered with the medical board and have completed two years after internship.

“This will be a fulltime non-paying position for five years,” he said in an advertisement.

The medics will sit the College Fellowship Examination, an internationally recognised specialist qualification.

The other new hospitals are in Bungoma, Kakamega, Kericho, Kiambu, Kwale, Machakos, Meru, Mombasa and Trans Nzoia.

Each of the hospitals will admit two trainee specialists every year.

The other 13 training hospitals were approved about three years ago.

They admit 35 trainees every year. They are in Bomet, Kiambu, Kisii, Kisumu, Mombasa, Nairobi, Nakuru, Nyeri and Uasin Gishu.

The hospital-based training programme was created by the College of Surgeons of East & Central and Southern Africa, which awards the internationally recognised surgical qualification.

General surgeons are specialists who typically operate on common abdominal complaints including appendicitis, hernias, gallbladder surgeries, stomach and intestinal issues. They are responsible for patient care before, during, and after surgery.

The general surgeons can can also study an additional one to about four years to focus on another sub-specialty like neurosurgery and cardiology.

The Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union says Kenya will need more doctors to support the UHC. 

KMPDU secretary general Ouma Oluga said many people will flock to hospitals because of free services.

“Demand for services will go up by 50 per cent, so efforts must be made to improve the number and quality of health workers. You will need more doctors and clinical officers to deliver the services," Oluga said.