Duale orders scrapping of mandatory attachment fees for KMTC students
He says Government hospitals do not have a justification for charging the students, yet they help them while on attachment
Students at the Kenya Medical Training Colleges (KMTC) will no longer pay mandatory attachment fees to hospitals under the National Government.
This follows a directive by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, who has directed all hospitals under the National Government to stop requesting fees from the KMTC students.
Speaking when he presided over the official opening of the 8th Biennial KMTC Scientific Conference at its headquarters in Nairobi, the CS said the hospitals do not have a justification to charge the students, yet they help them while on attachment.
Duale said for a start, all the Level 6 hospitals should take the directive immediately.
“I will start with the Level 6 hospitals that are under my Ministry, such as Kenyatta National Hospital, Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital, Mathare National Research Hospital, and Moi University Teaching and Referral Hospital,” the CS announced.
“We must bring trust, hope, and order to the health sector,” he added.
Currently, KMTC students pay between Ksh 1,000 to Ksh 10,000 depending on the hospital before they are allowed to undertake their attachment. The attachments are also mandatory as they help the students gain work experience and learn from the trained medics.
Further, Duale stated that he would be meeting with the governors to push for the implementation of the policy for hospitals that are under the county governments.
According to the Health CS, even if the charges are there, it should be uniform and not some hospitals charging more than others adding that the prizes should be harmonized if it is a must they are made.
“We are meeting the Council of Governors with the President this evening, and I will ask him to pass the message to the governors. Even when you look at the payments, they are not harmonized. One is charging Ksh 10,000, and my county, Garissa, is charging Ksh 1,000. Even if there were charges, there should be a standard,” Duale stated.
