By Amoto Dennis Ndiewo
The Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) is to spend Sh200 million to hire 150 lecturers who will be distributed in 71 campuses spread across the country depending on areas of priority.
KMTC Chair Prof Philip Kaloki said the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) has many additional programs thus calling for need for additional lecturers in the campuses in different departments.
‘’We have to fill gaps in orthopaedic, clinical, nursing, nutrition department amongst others, and we need to maintain high quality”, he said.
According to the Health Ministry regulatory agencies, there is, a minimum number of lecturers required for every department. For instance the nursing department needs at least five lecturers per campus, just as the clinical medicine department does.
Kaloki said the KMTC campuses have 4,000 employees and the college is witnessing rapid growth in student’s enrolment, revenue and infrastructure.
“We are releasing more than 10,000 graduates annually to support UHC and fill gaps of human resource for health. Since 2013 we have released about 60,649 graduates”, said Kaloki, adding that 2020-21 academic year has 12,228 graduates distributed across two graduation ceremonies including December last year (4,114) and April (8,114).
With 71 campuses spread across the country, the colleges have grown in student enrolment from 19,546 in 2013 to the current 51,305. Prof Kaloki said currently Kenya is faced with Covid -19 menace which has affected all aspects of life.
‘’I’m glad to report that even in these turbulent times, the college has been steadfast and resilient, in the delivery of its mandate,’’ said Kaloki.
KMTC Chief Executive Officer Prof Michael Kiptoo said that the college has developed good working relations with about 1,250 hospitals and health centres across the country.
The CEO added that the college now uses a blend of technology and manual teaching techniques to teach students.
‘’In future, online courses will be mandatory and more pronounced as have introduced simulations, to teach our students,’’ said Kiptoo.
He said some courses like health records will be purely online, as others will be on face to face interaction because they will be dealing with human life.
The CEO said that the college has also through the government partnered with the British government for the recruitment of nurses in Britain and Ireland.
Kaloki said 50 per cent of KMTC graduates work abroad in the USA, Australia and other countries abroad.
