Kenya’s First Lady Margaret Kenyatta on Tuesday challenged governments across the globe to invest more resources in public health nursing so as to achieve aspirations of high quality healthcare provision for all.
She said public health nursing is central to the functioning of any health system and should therefore be adequately resourced in terms of manpower, equipment and continuous capacity building.
“It will certainly benefit all our healthcare systems if we invest in building a strong cadre of public health nurses, through rigorous training, specialization and practice to enhance their skills,” she said.
The First Lady who spoke when she presided over the official opening of the 5th Global Network for Public Health Nursing (GNPHN) Conference in Nairobi, expressed gratitude that the country has intensified the training, development and deployment of public nurses.
The public nursing conference whose theme is “Public health nurses achieving sustainable development goals (SDG) 3-Good health and wellbeing,” is being held in Africa for the first time.
“In my work and visits to health centres across Kenya, I have witnessed the role of nurses and community health workers as key influencers in the health and wellbeing of patients, communities and the populations they serve,” she said.
She called on the conference participants, who are drawn from across the world, to work together on finding solutions to not only the identified challenges facing the public nursing profession but the entire public health sector.
She noted that a strong health system requires a competent and caring workforce pointing out that globally, nurses provide over 80% of healthcare services.
“I have seen your hard work, your combined talents and dedication. You are the first point of contact with the community – sometimes braving very challenging conditions,” she added.
JK/abj/APA