Successful implementation of the Universal Health Coverage depends on availability of adequate and highly skilled health professionals, Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha has said.
In the near future the number of patients in hospitals will reduce drastically as the UHC scheme will focus on prevention measures, she said.
The CS spoke at Kenyatta University Teaching Research and Referral Hospital where she was the chief guest during the second graduation ceremony for specialised nurses.
Nakhumicha said the government will support the hospital's training facility because it is critical in producing skilled manpower to handle non-communicable ailments including cancer.
"This training institute will play a key role in providing advanced training opportunities for the nurses and other cadres and we look forward to county governments, private institutions and other stakeholders to be active partners in sending their personnel for advanced training," the CS said.
She also hailed the KUTRRH management board and Kenyatta University for ironing out differences over use of the hospital's facilities to train students.
The KUTRRH board chairperson Prof Olive Mugenda said the nurses' training college puts emphasis on changing the trainees' attitude while handling patients.
She said the hospital is in the forefront in promoting Universal Health Care through provision of cutting-edge medical services.
“We want KU Hospital to become a sought-after destination for medical tourism, health training, health technology and medical research. As a national referral hospital, this hospital is at the forefront of ensuring that Kenyans get access to affordable, accessible and quality specialised health care,” Mugenda said.
Prof Mugenda said Kenyans and East Africans will no longer have to seek health care services abroad, noting that the government has made strategic medical investments at the facility including the state-of-the-art Cyberknife for treatment of cancer.
The CS was accompanied by the Ministry Principal Secretary Harry Kimutai who reiterated the government's commitment to improve healthcare services in the counties.
