Health CS spills beans on interns earning Sh200,000 as doctors take home Sh104,000

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Wafula Nakhumicha has blown the lid on some of the ills the Ministry of Health is grappling with, which have caused a discrepancy in the salaries of various staff.

CS Nakhumicha was responding to a question from a Kenyan who wanted to know why she had frozen training for the remaining financial year.

“I would like CS Health to elaborate more on a circulating memo, that training for financial year 22/23 remains frozen, does it mean interns won’t be paid their salaries for the remaining part?” asked Austine Wanjala.

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Wafula Nakhumicha in an interview with Jeff Koinange Pulse Live Kenya

During the interview with Jeff Koinange, she disclosed that she had discovered some medical interns were earning much more than doctors.

“Kenya is a country where interns earn more than the actual doctors when they are deployed. A medical intern earns close to Sh200,000 while a new doctor reporting to a public hospital earns Sh104,000.

“Those inconsistencies there are things that need to be looked into. About the memo, it is something that is work in progress and something will be done about it,” she said.

Medical internship training plays a vital role in a doctor’s career.

According to Kenya Medical Practitioners, and Dentists Council, this is a legal requirement that allows a medic to acquire critical practical skills that cannot be acquired within the precincts of a lecture room.

Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Wafula Nakhumicha with her predecessor Mutahi Kagwe Pulse Live Kenya

Internship training, therefore, provides a platform for the intern to apply the skills learnt in a practical sense under the supervision of a specialist practitioner who is a mentor and a coach.

The program usually takes about 1 year.