Honouring nurses as demand for specialisation increases globally
Nurses and midwives from Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret town joined by nursing students from Kenya Medical Training College in the town, during a procession to mark International Nurses and Midwives Week which kicked off on May 03, 2023. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NMG
Nurses make up the backbone of the world’s healthcare industry and are the largest single profession within the field.
As patient advocates and skilled care providers, their role remains pivotal to meeting the healthcare needs of a growing patient population with diverse care needs.
However, with an increasing population of patients in need of more care and emerging healthcare needs than ever before, there is a demand for nurses to specialise so as to meet and overcome arising shortfalls.
The world just celebrated international nurses’ Week in the second week of May.
Kenya’s healthcare is one of the fastest-growing industries in sub-Saharan Africa after South Africa.
It is also estimated that the African healthcare market will be worth $259 billion by 2030, and Africa will present 14 percent of health and wellbeing business opportunities across the globe, according to industry sources.
Nearly halfway through 2023, a number of Kenyan health facilities have received funding for expansion from local and international funding institutions.
For a long time, nurses were viewed as less integral members of the clinical care team despite their responsibilities.
Today, thanks to various reforms, the nurse enjoys some autonomy and an increasingly collaborative relationship with other healthcare professionals.
This has come through years of lobbying, organising and advancing the profession academically.
Nurses provide expert care from birth to the end of life, they direct patient care, do case management, establish nursing practice standards, develop quality assurance procedures, and direct complex nursing care systems
They also foster relationships with patients and colleagues, set/revise rigorous curricula for training both under- and postgraduate professionals to meet the ever new arising care needs.
All nurses complete a rigorous programme of extensive education and study which makes them best placed to take an all-encompassing view of a patient’s wellbeing.
If the role of nurses appeals to you, either become one or honour these angels in uniform for top care.
