The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr Kelly Oluoch has announced that the middle level institution has partnered with other stakeholders to set up an examination centre for health practitioners seeking jobs abroad.
This, Oluoch said, is the second such facility in Africa after the first one was established in South Africa and will cut costs incurred by medical practitioners to write the mandatory examinations.
He said the development hinged on the institution’s 2023-2027 strategic plan was a big relief for medical practitioners seeking jobs outside the country.
The official said the examination centre will unlock opportunities in the United States of America (USA), Canada, Australia and New Zealand where KMTC-trained health personnel are on high demand.
“This facility is going to enable our graduands and other health practitioners to sit the examinations here in the country, further cutting costs incurred travelling to South Africa for the same exercise,” he said.
KMTC, he added, has reviewed its curriculum to prepare students for the opportunities abroad as the government moves to address rising unemployment in the country.
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This has seen the institution which has 86 campuses and 66,296 students introduce foreign languages as part of the training.
“We have introduced French, German, Arabic and Amharic languages in our curriculum to make it easy for our students who are keen on working outside the country,” he said.
Dr Oluoch was speaking in Kisumu during an awards ceremony for the college when he said KMTC has strengthened the training programmes to meet the demand for a competent health workforce locally and globally.
“We are cognizant of the fact that our graduates are on high demand. Since we produce enough for the local economy and international market, our goal is to become a globally competitive institution in training human resources for health,” he said.
To achieve this, he said research, innovation and consultancy services have been introduced to address the demands of the sector.
Dr Oluoch said the institution was keen on leveraging technology to expand training opportunities and offer solutions to health sector challenges.
“With the increased student population we may not have all the resources to manage our physical causes. That is why we are taking advantage of the digital space to enhance access to our programmes,” he said.
KMTC Board Chairman Joseph Cheruiyot lauded the government for allocating resources to the institution to roll out the initiatives.
Lecturers and non-teaching staff who have shown exemplary performance were awarded in different categories.
By Fredrick Odiero
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