Elders from Garissa have welcomed president Uhuru Kenyatta’s move to sign a bilateral agreement allowing Cuban specialist doctors to work in the county’s hospitals.

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The move that has drawn mixed reactions with the majority of Kenyan doctors condemning it with a few supporting the plan.

The Cuban experts will arrive in Kenyan within the next few weeks and will according to governments work hand-in-hand with their Kenyan counterparts, will roll out a range of medical interventions that will radically change how the country manages a large number of life-threatening diseases each county is set to get at least two specialists.

Addressing the press in Garissa town on Friday, led by the Kenya livestock marketing council chairman Dubat Amey said that North Eastern require the specialist more than any other region in the country.

“ For a long time, our people have suffered at the hands of this specialist who despite being posted to the region make technical appearances for their own selfish interests. This puts the lives of patients in grave danger,” Amey said.

“Some of them refer patients to their clinic in Nairobi. We have evidence. They appear sometimes once in three months. What services will such a special offer to us,” he added.

On his side, Hassan Osman said as locals they will accord the Cuban experts the necessary support when they get down to business.

Health CS Sicily Kariuki on Tuesday defended the deal saying that the doctors are purely specialist and there was a need for the government to hire their services.

Amey said that many residents in the region have been forced to travel to Nairobi and even abroad to seek specialized services which he added could the solution to the hiring of the Cuban doctors.

“We cannot be held hostage by a few greedy doctors who are after their own selfish interest. The unions have for a long time taken this country and especially the common mwananchi for a ride,” he said.

Amey said the Cuban doctors have a history of serving in the remote regions as the case in Ethiopia some years back.In most hospitals specialist work only a few days a week and even then for a few hours contrary to other countries where it is a full day job.