Kenyan Nurses Raise Concerns of Being Overlooked in Primary Healthcare Strategies

Embu, Kenya – Nurses in Kenya, vital to the primary healthcare sector, have voiced concerns over their exclusion from key discussions and policy-making processes concerning Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

According to Kenya News Agency, their members feel disregarded in the ongoing conversations aimed at enhancing primary healthcare, a critical element of UHC. KPNA President Michael Nyongesa emphasized the significance of nurses in the healthcare delivery system, especially at the grassroots level, during the association’s annual scientific conference in Embu.

Nyongesa highlighted the extensive training nurses receive in community health, underscoring their essential role in the successful implementation of primary healthcare and UHC initiatives. “Nurses are trained on community health and as such primary healthcare and universal health coverage cannot be successful without their involvement,” Nyongesa asserted.

At the conference, which took place on Tuesday and will continue over three days, Nyongesa pointed out that nurses are crucial intermediaries between patients and doctors. He stressed that excluding them from discussions undermines the healthcare system’s capacity to deliver effective health outcomes. He advocates for greater involvement of nurses in planning and executing healthcare strategies, emphasizing preventive measures such as screening and counselling, which are within the purview of nursing duties.

Nyongesa also touched upon the challenges arising from the devolution of healthcare to counties, noting issues like delayed salary payments, lack of promotions, and uneven employment practices that have led to disillusionment among nurses. He urged the Council of Governors (CoG) to address these systemic problems to enhance healthcare across the counties.

Addressing these concerns, Embu Deputy Governor Kinyua Mugo, who attended the conference as the chief guest, acknowledged the current initiatives to improve conditions for healthcare workers. Mugo detailed efforts to resolve the nursing shortage in Embu, including the recent hiring of 75 nurses and plans to further increase this number by the end of the fiscal year. Additionally, Mugo mentioned that the county has begun negotiations to transition contract nurses to permanent positions.