Kisii University Vice Chancellor, Prof. John Akama, says the university has opened its first medical programme and they will admit its first batch of Medicine and Surgery students in the next academic semester.
This follows a finalisation of the University agreement with Kisii Level Five Hospital late last year to help them offer the intensive course.
The current shortfall of medical staff countrywide might be bridged soon if various colleges and Universities continue to increase number of students open doors to offer medical programmes.
“Kisii University is recording good growth and we thank the Kisii County government for pushing for the upgrading of the Hospital into a Teaching and Referral facility. This will boost the number of graduate doctors each year from the current 600 to 2,000 per year in the country,” said Prof. Akama.
The Prof. said that the University’s School of Health Sciences which was started in March 2010 was initially offering Diploma in Clinical Medicine and Medical Laboratory Sciences only.
He said that they now want to advance to offering Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Sciences, Nutrition, Community Health, Public Health, Nursing and Clinical Medicine.
Prof. Akama added that after the release of Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KSCE) this year, students can join the University for Medical Courses both at the University and at the Kisii Level Five Hospital.
Currently the country has an estimated shortage of 40,000 nurses.