Doctors, take opportunities abroad and start own practice

Last week, the University of Nairobi School of Medicine graduated the 2020 class. The 250 or so odd group of newly minted doctors enter the labour force in unprecedented times, both professionally as well as economically.

This year has been easily the most significant for the global medical workforce and developing economies. All over, shrinkage in economies has forced private sector businesses to scale down and many more to close than is usual.

For such workers, without means to provide for their families, delayed payment of pending bills and disbursement of funds from the central government, even the public health sector has been affected.

We are now back to the days where healthworker salaries were delayed for months on end and were followed by industrial labour unrest to ensure they got paid.

So far, as things look, save for a miracle, the effects will likely spill over to 2021. The biggest obstacle, however, has been in the physical and mental health impacts posed by Covid-19 on medical workers. In systems affected badly by high infections and fatalities, such as USA, cases of health worker burnout and even suicides have been reported.

I am not sure what the content of the induction speeches the senior doctors invited to the event shared with the young doctors joining the fraternity. I, however, hope they painted the real picture of the situation on the ground.

Ten years ago upon my graduation, the medical force was different. The economy was booming and things were better. The number of health workers was also still, relatively low. We even managed to wiggle a 300 percent salary increase from the government, albeit after a prolonged strike.

Internship places were assured and a job guaranteed if you successfully completed your internship.

The same cannot be said now. With healthcare devolved, counties have tough balancing acts meeting their residents’ health needs while also touching other sectors like roads, agriculture and education.

Those counties that inherited weak health systems have stagnated, but in the same breathe made commendable progress in infrastructure, human resource and medical equipment investments.

To the new doctors joining the profession, if you are successful to get your internship posting be grateful and dedicate yourself to its teachings. One guarantee they have is that many will not have a direct public job after graduating like happened in the past.

My advice would be to start planning for the future life with health entrepreneurship outside public sector employment as an option. Whatever little you get, think of it not as a salary, but as potential capital. It may be the only income you will have for a while.

Be brave, be bold, but do not limit yourself locally. If an opportunity arises, please explore work regionally or internationally. Kenya still trains excellent medical staff and in the true spirit of the African Free Continental Trade Area, embrace the new frontier countries in the region, Rwanda, Eritrea, Djibouti, DRC etcetera. Welcome to the profession and keep the oath.