400,000 children to be immunised

Kenya will immunise 400,000 children in the next 100 days in an ambitious campaign launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday.

The president launched the 100-day Accelerated National Immunisation Campaign targeting counties at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority, in Nairobi.

“Failure to immunise our children may also create national risks such as disease outbreak. I urge the ministries of Health and Education to work closely with counties to ensure all children are immunised by the time they finish school,” said President Kenyatta.

Meanwhile, the President dispatched 100 Cuban doctors to counties, with a plea to Kenyans to support them.

“They have received the necessary induction and will soon be deployed across the country to further health services,” he said yesterday.

Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki said the Cuban doctors would help mentor the local ones.

Gioreny Vidal, a urologist who has practiced for 10 years and is being deployed to Kilifi, was happy that they were finally going to start working.

“So far Kenya is proving a great experience,” said Dr Vidal.

Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso said the doctors would help improve the medical system in Kenya.

“I see their arrival as adding value to our medical services and not as competition to our doctors,” said Mr Laboso.

Medical superintendent at Kombewa Level Four Hospital Kevin Rombosia, said there was a lot to learn from Cuban doctors.

“Learning from the Cuban health model will prove very useful to us,” said Dr Rombosia.

Kisumu County is receiving three specialists - a neurosurgeon, critical care physician and a family physician.

Kombewa will receive the family physician, while the rest will be at the Jaramogi Oginga Teaching and Refferral Hospital.

The CS said a state-of-the-art medical storage facility was being built to improve the drug supply chain in Kenya.