50 Kenyan Doctors Sent To Seychelles to Conduct Screening Services

The Government of Seychelles has confirmed that it received 50 health workers from Kenya to help in conducting screening services in various health facilities in the country.

Seychelles, 115-islands country in the Western Indian Ocean, is among the few that have confirmed few cases or zero cases of Covid-19. Since the virus started spreading outside China, the country only reported eleven cases of which all of them have recovered.

Seychelles is currently Covid-19 free, but according to its Health Authorities, the country was lacking screening services in its health facilities thus it sought help from Kenya.

In an agreement between the two countries, Seychelles hired 50 health officials from Kenya including 45 nurses, two public health officers, one lab technician, one person responsible for logistics, and one doctor.

“Screenings is an additional service which we are offering because it was not there before. For now, we have taken nurses from other functions at health centers, to put them at the forefront to do this, but now the Kenyan nurses will do that,” said the chief executive of the Health Care Agency in Seychelles, Danny Lounge.

Another Seychelles official argued that the Kenyan health officials were not only experts in screening services but also trained to control the spread of diseases in Community levels.

“They are almost all of them are community trained and we have so much that needs to be done in our communities for preventions. Our plans that we have developed and some by other organizations have so much to do with communities. And that is where prevention is done and not only in the hospitals. Out there in schools at works places and we need the presence of health at schools, “he argued.

The Irony

Some years back there was this common Swahili phrase in Kenya that was being used in almost every statement, especially among the youth. It went by, “Ujinga Ni…to mean stupidity is when…then you would give your opinion about something.

Well, in this context, allow me to use the ‘ujinga Ni? Phrase to give my opinion on a recent report that 50 Kenyan Health workers were sent to Seychelles to conduct screening services despite the country announcing that it was Covid-19 free.

Thus I would say, “Ujinga ni Kenya kutuma madaktari Seychelles at a time when more Covid-19 cases are spiking.” It is quite ironic that Kenya with the spiking number of cases could still afford to send its doctors to Seychelles.

Kenya is not that well off in terms of health facilities and resources. As in, we have a commendable health workforce but still, patients would prefer to go to India for treatment. Now even the few we have are being given to other countries.

Sometimes, it is good for everyone to deal with their problems. Kenya should stop being so generous.