KENYA HAILED FOR THE PRIMARY HEALTHCARE MODEL

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) President Dr. Pamela Cypriano has hailed Kenya as a pacesetter for deploying the Primary Health Care model to ensure Universal Health Coverage. During her meeting with the Principal Secretary State Department for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni Muriuki HSC on the sidelines of the ongoing International Council of Nurses (ICN) Congress in Montreal Canada, Dr. Cypriano commended Kenya’s bold move saying Preventive and Promotive Health is the surest strategy to accelerate attainment of UHC.

 The PS noted that Kenya will engage associations like ICN to ensure local nurses get exposure to global best practices.  "Nurses are the engines of healthcare service provision and we endeavor promote nursing as a profession and ensure they have a voice in healthcare policy and decision-making processes at the national and regional levels."She said.

 PS Muthoni also appreciated collaborations that support the professional development of Kenyan Nurses through  capacity-building initiatives such as the Global Nursing Leadership institute (GNLI) program from which Kenya has benefited to have at least 8 alumni.

She informed that  Kenya is currently engaged in Organizational Development of National Nursing Associations (ODENNA), a partnership of National Nurses Associations (NNA’s) in the African region designed to strengthen NNA’s ability to influence health outcomes, build respect, recognition and support profession.

"We appreciate the partnerships to address common challenges, share best practices, and promote collaboration in areas such as education, research, and policy development, provision of  platforms  such as the ICN Congress that facilitate knowledge exchange."The PS said.