Standoff Ends, KU Medics Report to KUTRRH
KU and KUTRRH had been embroiled in a bitter dispute for years. The university claimed the hospital had locked out its students,
The two institutions believe the new partnership will improve medical training and result in better healthcare delivery in the country. Phot/ KBC Digital
By Juliet Jerotich
Kenyatta University (KU)medical students have been admitted to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital (KUTRRH) for clinical training. This draws to an end a five-year stalemate that had delayed their progress and frustrated students and parents.
KU and KUTRRH had been embroiled in a bitter dispute for years. The university claimed the hospital had locked out its students, yet it was established mainly as a teaching hospital for KU’s school of medicine. The issue received widespread media attention, even prompting Parliament and Senate committees to intervene, but solutions had so far been elusive.
The initial group of 200 medical students reported for induction at the Level Six complex on Monday. Many indicated the expansion signaled the opening of a new chapter for the medical programme at KU.
Student leaders were quick to welcome the development. They explained that the delay had forced them to seek training in other hospitals, in most instances with much difficulty. For most, Kiambu Level Five Hospital was the first choice for clinical rotations. But frequent doctors’ strikes disrupted training, leaving the students high and dry without patients or supervisors.
Fred Latandi Ondieki, a fifth-year student and KU’s Social Welfare and Co-curricular Activities chairman, said the standoff had also derailed their learning. His friends Vincent Ochieng and Karen Wanjiru, members of the Medical School Congress, agreed. They explained that the partnership with KUTRRH would now allow them to complete courses within time and without undue interruptions.
KUTRRH Chief Executive, Dr. Zainab Gura, described the admission of KU students as a “major milestone.” She said that training future doctors was one of the main mandates of the hospital and stated that the collaboration would be a win for both health and education.
Parents and stakeholders in the education sector had previously sounded the alarm that further delays would ruin the careers of hundreds of students. With the row now resolved, expectations are high.
The response integration of the KU students into the hospital will be complete by September. The two institutions believe the new partnership will improve medical training and result in better healthcare delivery in the country.
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