By James Wakahiu
The first cohort of medicine students from Mount Kenya University (MKU) has graduated and taken the oath of service.
The university released 24 medical doctors, the first group since the MKU was allowed to offer the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBchB) programme by the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council in 2014.
The Chairman of the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council Dr Eva Njenga, the CEO Dr Daniel Yumbya, MKU founder Prof. Simon Gicharu,Vice -Chancellor Prof Deogratius Jaganyi and Pro- Chancellor Dr Vincent Gaitho presided the hippocratic oath-taking of the graduand doctors.
The doctors who successfully studied the six year-training, will now proceed to various hospitals for their 13 months internship programme.
amid calls for institutions to maintain quality training of health practitioners.
Dr Njenga said while the demand of doctors in the country remains high leading to increasing training facilities, the council was keen to ensure the level of training remains above board, saying a product is as good as the process of producing is.
“We have the national training and standard of medical schools and teaching hospitals in Kenya. This is one of the aspects that as a council we are taking seriously because we want to make sure that the doctors that are coming out of the medical schools are safe for the people we work for,” Dr Njenga said.
Gicharu said, to be allowed to start the program, the university had to put up Sh300 million well-equipped Anatomy laboratory dabbed General Kago Funeral Home cum Anatomy laboratory through a public- private partnership with Thika Level Five Hospital , Kiambu county where the medical doctors have undergone practical training. The university has well equipped science laboratories and has assembled academic resources.
“We were the first University to roll out an accredited Bachelor of Science, Clinical Medicine and Community Health and the first Private University to offer a Pharmacy programme at a time when this seemed impossible. The process was not for the faint hearted but our investments in putting up training facilities and hiring competent faculty ensured that we were successful,” Gicharu said yesterday.
Recently, Gicharu said the institution was ranked the best in Kenya with a score of 82 percent in an inspection conducted by a joint team of technical health experts from the East African Community Partner States National Medical and Dental Practitioners Regulatory Councils.
in the implementation of MKU 2020-2029 strategic plan MKU Board of Directors envision establishment of a Cancer training and Referral hospital which will add practical training opportunities to students.
Prof Serem said: “It is worthwhile in some seven years back to heavily invest in financial, physical and human infrastructure capable of producing medical doctors that our dear nation deserves at this point in time, this was foresightedness and very visionary leadership whose fruition is what we are witnessing today.”
Prof Jaganyi said the varsity would use its medical faculty to support the government in actualising its “Kenya Health Policy 2014 – 2030” by the Ministry of Health through continued offering of quality training and research.
“As stipulated in the Social Pillar of Kenya Vision 2030 as well as under the SDGs 2030, the private sector’s role cannot be over-
Emphasized. And this is where and how we come in as a university so that we can supplement the Government’s support in health care and especially in capacity development,” the Vice Chancellor said.
