GE’s Sh1.3b facility to train 10,000 EAC health professionals

US multinational General Electric has commissioned a $13million (Sh1.3billion) healthcare training school in Karen, Nairobi.

The centre, the first by GE in Africa will train over 10,000 healthcare professionals in the country and East Africa in the next three years and will use the firm’s experts in offering training to biomedical engineers, radiologists and technicians in handling the equipment.

The training centre is part of GE’s Healthcare’s global plan to develop and deliver localized and modern facilities in the healthcare sector – a move that is expected to address the shortage of qualified healthcare professionals in the region.

Speaking Wednesday during the launch of the facility,, Health Cabinet Secretary Dr. Cleopa Mailu said the centre would be expanded to offer leadership, biomedical and clinical education courses in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, private healthcare providers and other educational partners.

“Demand for quality healthcare is increasing and this facility will play a critical role in supporting the capacity while at the same time helping to reduce the skills gap and build a solid national healthcare system,” said Mailu.

The firm said it had installed radiology departments, X-ray, ultrasound machines as well as screening equipment for breast cancer adding that it was keen on more partnerships to build the capacity.

“We have already signed three new partnerships for skills building in Kenya and East Africa with Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) and international companies IntraHealth and Management Sciences for Health in an effort to deepen and support our human capital and capacity building,” said Farid Fezoua, President and chief executive GE Healthcare Africa.

GE had in February 2015 in a Managed Equipment Services Project (MESP) signed a Sh42billion partnership with the ministry of Health to modernise the tele-radiology infrastructure and imaging equipment in 94 county hospitals across the country and four national referral hospitals.

The CS said the agreement which had initially received opposition from some governors, is now being rolled out to some county governments like Kericho County and will see the deployment of more than 500 pieces of imaging equipment that are supported by a long term servicing contract.

The financing model allows the government to sustainably budget healthcare expenditure over several years by deferring upfront capital outlays.

To date 70 hospitals in 42 counties have had radiology departments modernised.