The Principal Secretary (PS) for Medical Services, Dr. Ouma Oluga, has held discussions with a delegation of Minnesota health sector stakeholders led by Kenyan-born Minnesota House of Representatives member (District 38 A) Huldah Momanyi-Hiltsley, Minnesota, USA, on strengthening collaboration between Kenya and Minnesota in healthcare delivery and workforce development.
The delegation, which paid a courtesy call on the PS at Afya House, Nairobi, comprised representatives of healthcare institutions, elderly care providers, and workforce development organisations interested in exploring areas of mutual cooperation.
Welcoming the delegation, Dr. Oluga outlined Kenya’s ongoing health sector reforms under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), highlighting sustainable health financing, quality healthcare delivery, access to health products and technologies, and digital transformation as key priorities.
He identified opportunities for collaboration in health workforce training, specialised skills development, simulation-based learning, professional exchange and structured international workforce mobility, emphasising the importance of partnerships that deliver benefits to both countries.
Further, the PS also underscored the potential for knowledge exchange in geriatric medicine and long-term care, noting that Kenya was keen to strengthen its capacity in elderly care through partnerships that leverage international expertise and experience.
On her part, Rep. Momanyi welcomed the government’s openness to mutually beneficial partnerships, noting that the discussions provided an opportunity to address concerns around healthcare worker migration while promoting knowledge and skills exchange.
She expressed appreciation for the government’s commitment, including at the presidential level, to exploring ways of sharing global opportunities and resources.
“This proposed collaboration could extend beyond nurse recruitment to include healthcare training, care planning models, digital systems, and service delivery approaches,” said Momanyi.
Consequently, she observed that such partnerships would create opportunities for Kenyan healthcare professionals while facilitating knowledge transfer and strengthening institutional capacity, ensuring that workforce mobility translates into tangible benefits for Kenya and its international partners.
Meanwhile, Dr. Oluga reaffirmed the Ministry’s openness to partnerships aligned with Kenya’s health sector priorities, noting that international cooperation presents an opportunity to share expertise, strengthen institutional capacity, and advance quality healthcare delivery.
By Michael Omondi
