Nurse Deborah Monari. [PHOTO:COURTESY]
Under-equipped health care facilities, overworked personnel, and inadequate infrastructure consistently plague Kenya’s health sector. The recent strike organized by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union also brought critical care services to a grinding halt in the country. As the country’s nurses step in to bridge the care gap, Nguvu Change Leader and nurse, Deborah Monari, speaks up on International Nurses Day about the unrelenting challenges that she and her peers have to deal with on a daily basis.
Deborah emphasizes the need for implementing support systems, advocating for stronger labor laws, and prioritizing the health of nurses.
Deborah actively prioritizes teamwork to mitigate burnout among her colleagues and ensures she takes personal breaks whenever feasible. Moreover, she passionately advocates for creating better work environments conducive to nurses’ well-being. Deborah articulates her stance, explaining, “Performing repetitive tasks often leads to feelings of stagnation, prompting us to question our career choice.” To counteract this, Deborah proactively pursues ongoing education in medical courses, keeping herself abreast of the latest advancements in nursing research and technology. This engagement not only keeps her job engaging but also fosters her professional growth.
She suggests a diversified strategy to comprehensively address lingering issues and advance nurses’ rights across the nation. She emphasizes the need for efforts directed towards lessening strain for nurses and guaranteeing improved care delivery. This includes hiring additional nurses and integrating nursing assistants into the workforce to address understaffing in public hospitals.
Moreover, she believes government-funded scholarship programs must be made easily available in order to assist nurses in pursuing advanced degrees in other specializations. In her opinion, this financial aid for postgraduate study and continuing short courses will enable nurses to increase their expertise, which will, in turn, improve the standard of service in healthcare systems across Kenya.
Deborah emphasizes the importance of implementing more support systems, such as free counseling services and wellness initiatives, to contribute crucially to the well-being of nurses. Advocating for stronger labor laws and regulations is essential, she argues, to prevent overwork and other forms of workplace exploitation for nurses. Deborah concludes that prioritizing the health of the nation’s nursing workforce is crucial and will undoubtedly contribute to a more efficient healthcare system.
