This analysis warns that Kenya’s push for universal health coverage could be undermined if nurses follow through on a planned strike next month. The immediate dispute is the government’s failure to implement an agreement reached in 2017.
The concern matters because President Uhuru Kenyatta has set a goal of ensuring that by the end of his second term in 2022, Kenyans can access critical healthcare services without heavy out-of-pocket costs. That target becomes harder to meet if the health system continues to struggle with service quality and an insufficient workforce.
The article argues that nurses and midwives are central to any serious UHC strategy. It says governments must invest in their training and development if they want to expand access quickly and at a reasonable cost while maintaining quality.
Drawing on a report titled Nursing and Midwifery. The Key to the Rapid and Cost-Effective Expansion of High-Quality Universal Health Coverage, the piece says health systems can be redesigned to make better use of the existing workforce. It adds that stronger global UHC policy should place more emphasis on nursing and midwifery.
One of the main proposals is to let nurses and midwives work to the full scope of their licences, or take on expanded and specialist roles where appropriate. The report says countries such as Kenya could improve outcomes by creating more nurse-led clinics, more specialist nursing posts and more midwifery services.
The analysis also points to task-sharing as a practical way to ease pressure on doctors. It cites a study estimating that advanced-practice nurses can handle about 70 percent of a general practitioner’s workload, leaving doctors to focus on patients with more severe conditions.
Beyond workload relief, the article says nurses often deliver strong results in long-term non-communicable disease management. It notes that studies have found comparable health outcomes in many cases, while nurses also tend to score better on patient satisfaction and treatment adherence.
Sharon Brownie, identified as Dean of Nursing and Midwifery in East Africa at Aga Khan University Hospital, says nurses are well placed to provide both health-promotion and disease-prevention advice, while also helping coordinate primary health care teams.
