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CHAK is a key player in Medical Officer internship training in Kenya. The medical internship programme is carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Health through the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentist Council, university medical schools and accredited hospitals.

CHAK Medical Officer internship training programme four-year trend 

As can be seen from the table, the Medical Officer internship programme has grown over the years with increasing student numbers and participating hospitals. The drop in student numbers in 2020 is attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Participating institutions of higher learning are University of Nairobi (UON), Kenyatta University (KU), Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya Methodist University (KEMU), Egerton, Maseno and Moi universities.

Medical Training Colleges

The training capacity of faith-based medical colleges is on an upward trajectory. The Medical Training Colleges (MTCs) have embraced TIVETA compliance requirements, seizing the opportunity to diversify from the traditional Diploma in Community Health Nursing to become health science colleges offering clinical medicine, medical records training, nutrition, community health, business and other short courses.

CHAK MTCs training portfolio

Institute of Family Medicine (INFA-MED) (www.infa-med.org)

In Kenya like most of Africa, emphasis has been on subspecialty training and care, with primary care placed on the back burner. INFA-MED addresses the need for primary care through training of family practitioners to provide services for underserved populations specifically in rural areas and slums.

INFA-MED, Tenwek Hospital, AIC Kijabe, PCEA Chogoria, AIC Litein Hospital and CHAK have an ongoing partnership with Kabarak University to scale up family medicine training. Kabarak University graduated the second cohort of five family medicine doctors in 2020. Another intake of eight residents was done and training started in January 2021.

Residency programs

AIC Kijabe Hospital and Tenwek Hospital have successfully run surgical residency programmes accredited by COSECSA, with the support of PAACS in the fields of General Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery.

In 2020, Tenwek Hospital had 20 surgical residents and eight family medicine residents. In addition, the hospital started a new residency programme in cardiothoracic surgery.

AIC Kijabe Hospital has residency programmes in general and orthopedic surgery. Pediatric surgery subspecialty is run through a partnership between AIC Kijabe Hospital and Bethany Kids. 

HRH strategic partnerships

Innovation to Inclusion (i2i) Project

The Innovation to Inclusion (i2i) Project is designed to develop, test, validate and share learning from interventions that will directly improve waged employment in the private sector for men and women with disabilities. It will demonstrate the potential for change by identifying the most successful interventions that strengthen the disability ecosystem.

Key opportunities for CHAK in the project include accessibility and gender sensitization trainings and assessments, membership and access to e-learning and disability mainstreaming portals.

Strengthening Health Systems in Christian Health Institutions in Kenya

CHAK has partnered with CORAT Africa through funding from Brot fuer die Welt (BfdW) to undertake a baseline survey to inform the Strengthening Health Systems in Christian Health Institutions in Kenya Project.

The data was collected from 38 health facilities that responded to an online survey to assess their capacities in seven domains critical to health systems performance, and training needs.

The baseline assessment informed design of a two-year diploma course in health systems strengthening in partnership with African International University. The course is being offered to health workers from CHAK MHUs.

CORAT has offered 14 partial scholarships (88 per cent of the fee) while the MHUs involved have committed to pay the remaining 12 per cent, staggered throughout the in-service training period.

In 2020, the scholarships were competitively advertised and offered to MHU staff as per the table below.

E-learning platforms

Through the Africa Christian Health Associations’ Platform (ACHAP), CHAK has enrolled health workers from its MHUs and Secretariat in the AMREF Health Africa e-campus.

A total of 51 health care workers were enrolled in Leadership Management and Governance in Health System Strengthening course. The course will provide technical skills in management of health facilities in line with the WHO health systems strengthening building blocks.