Medical graduates plead for intern placements amid Ministry of Health delays

Medical student graduates are urging the Ministry of Health to place them as interns in health facilities across the country. 

Aggrey Awajo who graduated from Moi University says graduates who completed their medical training are yet to be placed for internships months after the completion. 

“This delay is disrupting our career progression and has consequences on the overly burdened healthcare system. We are still waiting for placements in health facilities and it is unfortunate some people have waited up to five months after graduation,” he noted.

Fresh out of medical school, the enthusiastic graduate hoped he would dive right into the medical field and pursue what he describes as a noble career by serving the vulnerable.

Awajo says his life has been in limbo with promises that never come to be, adding that the delay and uncertainty have caused undue stress and financial burden on them.

“The government keeps saying they will post us. So you end up forfeiting opportunities that you could take up.  It is very depressing; I feel like the system has failed us. I feel like my skills and knowledge that took me about eight years to acquire is being wasted,” he said.

Awajo called on the Ministry of Health led by Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha to handle their plights with the seriousness it deserves and finalise the placement process.

“We do not have to fight over placements, the Ministry of Health needs to handle this matter quickly to ensure uninterrupted delivery of healthcare services,” he said.

Each year, medical students graduate from school but must complete a one-year internship in order to obtain a valid practising license.

More than 1,000 interns have been waiting for almost a year for posting. The Kenyan Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU) unsuccessfully lobbied to make the process seamless.

Isabela Katanu from Jomo Kenyatta University notes the prolonged delay has forced her to take up online writing after waiting for her placement for three months. She notes having completed her studies; she is a source of pride for her family.

“I don’t have a license. I am unposted and I cannot do anything. I am hoping the government will hear our cry and let us have our posting letters as soon as possible so that we can start serving the community,” she said.

“I have so much knowledge that is going to waste, I took up academic writing to pay for my bills. I cannot get licensed without the internship, I hope the government will hear our cries and give us an urgent solution,” she added.

This comes even as the Employment and Labour Relations Court Judge Byram Ongaya on Friday morning extended orders suspending the doctors' strike to pave the way for negotiations.

On her part, Health CS Nakumicha previously dismissed the doctors' demands as being unrealistic, reiterating that the Ministry's hands are tied on the issue of intern placement.

"We cannot do anything as a Ministry, it's up to the Treasury to facilitate...the Government cannot cater for over 3,000 interns at this time, they have to be realistic," Nakhumicha said then.