Medical Migration

　　Dr. John Abwao， 49， is a Kenyan physician whostudied medicine in China at Xianning University， one ofthe top medical training schools in China. Today he is asuccessful consultant physician working in both Kenya andChina， and says his training has led him to enjoy a high levelincome.

　　“When you train in China in medical schools， one of thebest attractions of the course is duration. The duration isabout a five-year program followed by a one-year internship.The training is very comprehensive and intensive，” Dr.Abwao said， adding that in Kenya， similar programs requiresix years of learning plus one to two years of internship.

　　He said as a self-employed medical consultant in Chinaopportunities are endless， as the country’s big populationmeans a high demand for services.

　　“On average I make about $250，000 a year in consultancyservices. I have attended many international medicalconferences as a consultant，” Dr. Abwao told ChinAfrica.

　　Dr. Abwao is among an increasing number of Kenyanswho have received medical training in China during recentyears. As the economy of China continues to grow， the demandfor health care in the country is expected to increaseat an average of 60 percent per year， according to statisticsfrom the World Health Organization.

　　Up to 80 percent of newly trained Kenyan doctors endup getting jobs in China， the United States or the UnitedKingdom， according to the Kenyan Government. The costof medical education in China is much lower than mostdeveloped countries. For instance， fees in most medicalschools vary from $2，600 to about $7，000 per year inChina. In the United States， the United Kingdom， Franceand Germany， the costs could vary anywhere between$10，000 and about $41，300 per year. An average of 20Kenyan students a month are heading to some of the bestmedical schools in China for training， according to figuresfrom the Kenyan Government.

　　The areas of medicine in China with high turnovers ofKenyan medical practitioners are gynecologists， physicians，surgeons， pediatricians， nurses and ophthalmologists.

　　According to figures from the MedicalPractitioners and Dentists Board， a governmentagency that registers doctors in Kenya， about 80professionals per year in these categories are headingabroad， predominantly to China. Most of theseprofessionals end up getting jobs there and afew come back to Kenya for private practice.

　　Fred Sigor， Kenya’s Health Principal Secretary，told ChinAfrica that Kenya’s professionalbrain drain is straining the country’s healthcaresystem and is only going to get worse if the paylevel doesn’t increase.

　　“If you pay a Kenyan doctor working in a governmenthospital [only] about $700 per month， you [must] expectthe brain drain problem to continue increasing. Others[doctors]， who do not go to China， opt to work for nongovernmentalorganizations as consultants or start theirown private practice.”

　　Sigor said that the Kenyan Government is investingmore money in health care to increase the salaries ofdoctors and nurses， plus hiring more doctors and nurses todeal with the shortage of labor.

　　“With the shortage of doctors in government facilities，we are working with consultants who we pay good money，but we are [also] investing more in our medical school，”Sigor said. “China is a good place， if only the students whogo there can come back and build our medical services.”

　　An increase in international exchange programs betweenKenyan and Chinese medical students has helpedKenyans seize opportunities to learn and practice medicinein China. These ties are only expected to grow strongerin the coming years， as China’s investment in the countrycontinues to increase.

　　Some of the notable Chinese universities that areenrolling Kenyans in medical school are Xianning University，Fujian Medical University， Peking Union Medical College，Xiamen University， Foshan University and Hainan MedicalCollege.

　　Based on Kenya’s experience cooperating withChina in medical exchanges， Uganda， Tanzaniaand Rwanda are other East African countries thatmight follow in Kenya’s footsteps and send an increasingnumber of medical students to China for higherlearning.

　　The key to success in these exchanges， accordingto Sigor， is that professionals trainedin China eventually end up back in East Africa，contributing to the development of the region’smedical services.