Dr. John Abwao, 49, is a Kenyan physician who studied medicine in China at Xianning University, one of the top medicaltraining schools inChina. Today he is a successful consultant physician working in bothKenyaandChina, and says his training has led him to enjoy a high level income.

“When you train inChinain medical schools, one of the best attractions of the course is duration. The duration is about a five-year program followed by a one-year internship. The training is very comprehensive and intensive,” Dr. Abwao said, adding that inKenya, similar programs require six years of learning plus one to two years of internship.  

He said as a self-employed medical consultant inChinaopportunities are endless, as the country’s big population means a high demand for services.

“On average I make about $250,000 a year in consultancy services. I have attended many international medical conferences as a consultant,” Dr. Abwao toldChinAfrica. 

Dr. Abwao is among an increasing number of Kenyans who have received medical training inChina during recent years. As the economy ofChinacontinues to grow, the demand for health care in the country is expected to increase at an average of 60 percent per year, according to statistics from the World Health Organization.

Up to 80 percent of newly trained Kenyan doctors end up getting jobs inChina, theUnited States or theUnited Kingdom, according to the Kenyan Government. The cost of medical education inChinais much lower than most developed countries. For instance, fees in most medical schools vary from $2,600 to about $7,000 per year inChina. In theUnited States, theUnited Kingdom,FranceandGermany, the costs could vary anywhere between $10,000 and about $41,300 per year. An average of 20 Kenyan students a month are heading to some of the best medical schools inChinafor training, according to figures from the Kenyan Government.

The areas of medicine inChina with high turnovers of Kenyan medical practitioners are gynecologists, physicians, surgeons, pediatricians, nurses and ophthalmologists. According to figures from the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Board, a government agency that registers doctors inKenya, about 80 professionals per year in these categories are heading abroad, predominantly toChina. Most of these professionals end up getting jobs there and a few come back toKenya for private practice.

Fred Sigor,Kenya’s Health Principal Secretary, toldChinAfricathatKenya’s professional brain drain is straining the country’s healthcare system and is only going to get worse if the pay level doesn’t increase.

“If you pay a Kenyan doctor working in a government hospital [only] about $700 per month, you [must] expect the brain drain problem to continue increasing. Others [doctors], who do not go toChina, opt to work for non-governmental organizations as consultants or start their own private practice.”

Sigor said that the Kenyan Government is investing more money in health care to increase the salaries of doctors and nurses, plus hiring more doctors and nurses to deal 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. “Chinais a good place, if only the students who go there can come back and build our medical services.”

An increase in international exchange programs between Kenyan and Chinese medical students has helped Kenyans seize opportunities to learn and practice medicine inChina. These ties are only expected to grow stronger in the coming years, asChina’s investment in the country continues to increase.  

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

Based onKenya’s experience cooperating withChinain medical exchanges,Uganda,TanzaniaandRwandaare other East African countries that might follow inKenya’s footsteps and send an increasing number of medical students toChinafor higher learning.

The key to success in these exchanges, according to Sigor, is that professionals trained in China eventually end up back in East Africa, contributing to the development of the region’s medical services.

(Reporting from Kenya)