The decision by President Uhuru Kenyatta to engage the Cuban government in bringing 100 medical specialists from the Caribbean island is set to play a key role in efforts to transform healthcare in the country. 

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The foreign experts are now expected in the country at the end of this month. 

Although the healthcare function falls under county governments, President Kenyatta has made moves aimed at turning around operations in all major county hospitals in Kenya. 

In his first term, he equipped the health centres with modern and state-of-the-art equipment, making it possible for Kenyans to access decent health services near their homes. Before then, most people used to travel to Nairobi or even abroad to receive specialized medical treatment. 

Despite the deliberate efforts by the head of state, county governments, which have been struggling in running the docket well since the function was devolved, complaints have been raised about the lack of qualified personnel to operate the modern machines at the hospitals. 

This makes the deal that President Kenyatta made with the government of Cuba in March this year a much-needed thing in the sector. 

According to State House, the main reason the president made the long trip to the Communist nation, which is highly respected around the world for producing some of the best medical experts, was to make an agreement to have those world-class experts help Kenyan doctors. 

As a result, 100 Cuban doctors are set to arrive in the country, ahead of President Kenyatta eagerly awaited the unveiling of the Universal Health Coverage pilot project on July 1. 

Those specialized medical practitioners, set to operate in the country for two years, will offer services in remote areas and help train Kenyans on how to use the modern equipment that have been lying idle in hospitals. 

The other provision in the agreement will see at least 50 selected Kenyan doctors travel to Cuba in September this year for a two-year specialized training. The programme, organisers say, will boost knowledge transfer and mentorship to help promote healthcare in the country. 

Analysts say that the foreign experts will fill the gap in Kenyan hospitals in case local doctors decide to call for a strike. Last year, operations in public hospitals were paralysed for more than three months during the strike by doctors, leading to deaths of sick people who were unattended.    

According to the deal, the Cuban specialists include kidney experts, radiologists, brain surgeons, orthopaedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, heart specialists, hormone doctors, eye experts, critical care specialists, face surgeons, dermatologists, general surgeons, among others.  

The Council of Governors has welcomed the hiring of Cuban doctors, saying they will boost service delivery at the grassroots. 

Universal healthcare is part of the Big Four agenda that President Kenyatta has said he will focus on during his second term in office. 

The other items on the list of priorities are: food security and affordable housing.