Nurses welcome Uhuru’s move to allow health workers work in UK

• The union on Friday said the deal signed between the two governments will help create employment opportunities for more than 30,000 unemployed nurses in the country.

• The exact numbers of those who will go to the UK and the processing of visas will be confirmed in the next three months.

Nurses have welcomed the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta to allow health care workers from Kenya to serve in the UK’s National Health Service.

The union on Friday said the deal signed between the two governments will help create employment opportunities for more than 30,000 unemployed nurses in the country.

Kenya National Union of Nurses SG Seth Panyako said this will also diversify the skills of nurses who are currently in practice to gain experience in international standards of health practice.

“As we welcome and support the tremendous move by His Excellency, we urge the President to ensure terms and conditions of unemployment of nurses and other health workers in Kenya are improved to conform with the global standards,” Panyako said.

“This can only be achieved by ensuring the collective bargaining agreement for nurses is signed and dully implement.”

The exact numbers of those who will go to the UK and the processing of visas will be confirmed in the next three months.

A statement by the British High Commission in Nairobi said the special arrangement was part of a request by the Kenya government to capitalise on qualified but unemployed health workers.

The President also witnessed the signing of the Kenya-UK Health Alliance, which will bring together UK and Kenyan universities and teaching hospitals on health partnerships.

Among areas of interest in the new deal is on improving treatment, prevention and management of cancer in Kenya.

There are 894 Kenyans working across all roles in the NHS in England, making Kenyans the 30th largest nationality group in the NHS.

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