Medical Services Principal Secretary (PS) Dr. Ouma Oluga has called for curriculum harmonization in medical training institutions and the need for stronger co-investment models to address workforce losses linked to brain drain.
Speaking on Wednesday when he held high-level talks with WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr. Hans Kluge, Dr. Oulga emphasized the need to strengthen global health workforce collaboration, retention strategies, and ethical mobility frameworks for healthcare workers between Africa and Europe.
Dr. Oluga said that key concerns included ethical recruitment practices, implementation gaps in bilateral labour agreements, increasing migration of health professionals,
The discussions centered on advancing a Health Workforce Collaboration Framework aimed at addressing growing global workforce shortages, improving retention, promoting social inclusion, and strengthening protections for healthcare workers against violence and burnout.
Dr. Oluga highlighted Kenya’s longstanding leadership in health workforce advocacy, drawing from his experience as former IFMSA Vice President for External Affairs, Secretary General of Kenya’s largest doctors’ organization, and Chair of the Health Workers for All Coalition.
He further outlined Kenya’s contributions to health workforce policy reforms, including internship policy development, collective bargaining agreements, and leadership of the WHO Wellbeing Index study conducted across Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana involving over 3,600 health worker interviews.
The meeting also explored the proposed Africa Center for Health Workforce Initiatives, an umbrella platform seeking endorsement from WHO and Africa CDC to strengthen health workforce systems across the continent through policy reforms, education and specialization training, migration and mobility management, and healthcare worker well-being.
Dr. Kluge shared emerging workforce challenges across the WHO European Region, noting aging healthcare workforces, increasing violence against healthcare workers, and growing concerns around burnout and mental health.
The meeting further highlighted opportunities for shared learning, including formalization of community health workers and adoption of Africa’s community health approaches within European health systems.
The two leaders also discussed ongoing WHO-led initiatives on healthcare worker mental health and wellbeing, including facility-level interventions aimed at improving workplace support systems, shift organization, and staff welfare.
The engagement reaffirmed the importance of stronger Africa-Europe cooperation in building resilient, protected, motivated, and sustainable health workforces capable of supporting universal health coverage and future global health security priorities.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
