Kenya has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in recent times, with growing inflation making livings costs unbearable for most, soaring interest rates, and runaway joblessness as macro-economic factors drive businesses down.
Many Kenyans are now actively looking outside the country’s border for better personal and business prospects, with the country’s uber rich opting to leave the country to settle elsewhere. Kenyans are demanding more and better from their government but the government does not seem to have many options – recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it was implementing a plan to help Kenyans get jobs abroad.
Countries around the world are increasing their competitiveness and offering lucrative benefits to enable employers to attract the best talent – and no profession has experienced as much interest and exodus as the medical sector, especially in Kenya.
Covid pandemic has severely depleted the healthcare workforce globally, including for wealthy European nations, prompting aggressive recruitment campaigns for medical professionals from developing countries. However, this practice has disrupted migration patterns and sparked debates about the ethics of recruiting from countries with fragile health systems, particular on the back of a global pandemic.
In 2020, the UK government implemented a health and care visa program designed to expedite the entry of foreign healthcare workers to address its own medic shortage. This initiative offers benefits such as reduced visa costs and faster processing times.
Kenya is among several African nations that the UK visa program targeted, in part because of the large number of graduate nurses the country churns out, but who, ironically, our medical capacity is unable to absorb fully or remunerate adequately.
In perhaps an impotent mitigation strategy, and despite a large number of unemployed nursing school graduates, the Kenyan government has pledged to increase healthcare workforce recruitment to meet the sector’s demands. In an ironic twist of fate, as Kenyan nurses champed at the bit to emigrate to the UK, the wealthy European nation released a “red list” of nations with ‘weak health systems’, explicitly stating that it would not recruit healthcare workers from these countries; Kenya was in that list.
Nevertheless, healthcare workers continue to explore immigration possibilities to the UK, sometimes successfully despite the ‘red list’ hiccup, and to other destinations. The Nairobi Law Monthly spoke with James, a Kenyan healthcare worker, who recently successfully relocated to the UK. Before moving to the UK in 2021, James previously worked in South Africa and briefly in Zambia.
*To protect his job and identity, James elected to use just his first name and requested to his identity sealed.
What was your motivation for emigrating to the UK?
It was a hard decision for me to make because of my age and also because I have a young family. I had moved to two countries already after leaving Kenya in 2016. But for me, the opportunity to move to the United Kingdom offered me something new in my career: advancement opportunities and access to advanced medical technologies and resources.
I also considered the money. A colleague I had worked with in South Africa had moved to the UK, and they had shared with me the benefits of working for the National Health Service (NHS), which were worth leaving for.
I talked to my spouse, and we researched and contacted former colleagues who encouraged us to move. The education system in the UK is far better, and this was an opportunity for my significant other to also work on their degree.
Working in the UK healthcare industry has given me valuable experiences, exposure to some of the best cutting-edge practices, and the chance to contribute to a highly developed healthcare system.
Were you familiar with the UK healthcare system and working conditions?
I was reasonably familiar with the UK healthcare system. I had worked at one of the best medical facilities in South Africa, and the move to Zambia was a promotion, and I also had more time to study. As I was deliberating the move to the UK, I took time to study and researched a lot before my relocation.
People won’t tell you, but the firsthand experience is crucial to fully understanding the system’s nuances and working conditions. My former colleagues had also told me to anticipate challenges. Compared to Kenya and Zambia, I had to adjust to distinct protocols, regulations, and cultural aspects of healthcare delivery.
Are you concerned about the impact of the exodus of healthcare workers and the brain drain that the African healthcare sector faces?
Yes and No.
I agree that decisions to leave contribute to the brain drain phenomenon affecting many African healthcare systems. It can further strain the healthcare sector by reducing the number of skilled professionals available to address local healthcare needs.
But on the other hand, I hope that the knowledge and expertise I will gain in the UK will one day be used to support initiatives in Kenya.
The struggle of healthcare workers in Africa was very pronounced during the Covid-19 pandemic. That was the straw that broke my back; I had to leave.
During that period, I talked to former colleagues in Kenya and colleagues in other countries, and how governments handled healthcare workers was a slap on our faces.
What we earn, the conditions we work under, and the job pressure is unfair. On the other hand, European countries and North America have policies that care for their healthcare workers, and there are demands for professionals in the healthcare sector. Some of us choose what’s best for us in the long run. It is as painful as it is that we cannot practice this profession we love, which is also a calling in our countries of birth.
Why, in your opinion, are other highly skilled professionals also leaving Africa?
People are looking for career growth opportunities. Back at home, there are a lot of problems that the political class has adamantly refused to tackle. They have decided to run away from these problems. Unemployment is a crisis. For instance, how many jobs are being created annually compared to the number of graduates our universities are chucking in that same duration in Kenya?
In many professional spaces, they will tell you about inadequate infrastructure. You have teachers in classrooms that are not roofed; they are paid meager wages, but when they come here and see how well-equipped the schools are. Especially the public schools, do you think they will want to move back?
Opportunities abroad have provided better remuneration, some companies and organizations offer comprehensive professional development prospects, and the environment is also relatively stable for personal and family well-being.
All said and done, would you advise young professionals to seek job opportunities abroad?
Absolutely!
And I will give an example of the UK, which offers exciting prospects for young professionals. For instance, working in the UK will allow you to network with experts in their field, within the country and internationally. Such networks can open doors to education advancement, collaborations, research opportunities, and knowledge exchange that can improve someone’s career.
However, my word of caution would be for them to be very careful while evaluating individual circumstances, weigh the advantages and challenges, and make an informed decision that aligns with their career goals and personal aspirations. It also pays to be aware of applicable immigration policies and work permit requirements in the UK and not just the UK but any country you move to. Know the laws. Understand the visa process and any changes in immigration regulations for a smooth transition and legal work status.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@nairobilawmonthly.com, and to advertise with us, call +254715061658 anytime of the day
