The Parliamentary Committee on Education, Technology, Culture and Youth on Tuesday resolved to probe the case involving concerns raised by 162 medical clinical officers who have for three years waited for deployment by the Ministry of Health in vain.

The resolution was arrived at following a meeting between the representatives of the medics with the legislators.

Genesis

The medics were in 2011 picked from different public facilities to go for further studies under a programme that was aimed at bridging the skills gap in the health sector.

The group later graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Clinical Medicine and Community Health, a new programme in the country’s health system introduced in 2011 by the Ministry of Health.

The programme was administered by former Kigali Institute of Health (now College of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Rwanda).

However, since they graduated, the ministry has failed to mainstream the medics into the health sector structure so that they can start practicing at the level of medical doctor that is commensurate with their qualification.

Most of these were nurses when they enrolled for the programme and have remained so, which they argue is unfair.

In the petition letter, the group requested that they be put in the structure so that they can implement the skills they acquired and help bridge skills gap in medical practice in the country.

Addressing the MPs on Wednesday, Cassien Nshimiyimana, the representative of the aggrieved medics, said there is no ministerial order ascenting to their qualification to work in the health system both in Rwanda and outside.

"This issue has greatly affected us because no one can employ you when you are not in the structure. The College of Medicine and Health Sciences is still administering the same programme, meaning more graduates could be joining our predicament if nothing is done about it,” he told the MPs.

They claim that since 2013 when the first batch graduated, they have made several requests to the ministry stating their concerns to no avail.

The medics said the state minister for public health and primary healthcare wrote to districts informing them to employ these people in health centres, but this has never been implemented.

The scope of practice for clinical officers include general consultations, prescription of medicine and performing minor surgeries that would normally require a medical doctor

They said the move would reduce the unnecessary patient transfers from health centres to district hospitals.

After listening to the concerns raised by the aggrieved clinical officers, the parliamentary committee’s vice-president, MP Vénéranda Nyirahirwa, said once they have examined the issue, they will summon the responsible authorities to seek clarity.

Ministry speaks out

In a phone interview with The New Times on Wednesday, the Minister for Health, Dr Diane Gashumba, said the ministry was aware of the problem, but called for patience.

"There are issues that we needed to streamline and we are on it; I think they want that the issue be solved in one day which is impossible,” the minister said.

About the programme

The programme was approved by Cabinet in 2011. Later, the Ministry of Health wrote to Kigali Institute of Health requesting them to start teaching clinical officers for Bachelor’s Degree programme starting from the already practicing nurses who had Diploma in Nursing and Clinical Medicine (for clinical officers who studied abroad).

They had to study for two years to qualify for a bachelors’ degree. The contract between KHI and the Ministry of Health was such that the ministry would cover all the cost of education and that the beneficiary graduate would serve at least three years and once they do not obey the agreement, they would repay all the money spent on their education.

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