19 March 2020. Authors: Ken Awuondo, Pauline Ngala, Jemimah Kibira, Alfred Obuya and Bonny Baker

One of the roles of The Global Health Network is to bring closer nurses and research nurses working around the globe to share ideas, knowledge, skills and experiences.

The National Nurses Association of Kenya (NNAK) is a professional umbrella embracing all Nurses in Kenya who are in practice settings, in the education field and in Research institutions. The members of NNAK are benefitting abundantly from both short-term and long-term training opportunities provided by the NNAK. The members do participate on an online courses and face to face training including Continuous Professional Development (CPD) to enhance their personal growth and career development. The NNAK members have also had opportunities to involve themselves in Research activities through partnership with other organizations. Members are provided with a platform forum to present, share and exchange knowledge and ideas at the Annual Scientific Conference for the Nursing.

NNAK has commitment and the zeal to enhance Nursing proficiency to enable them provide quality health care. NNAK is open to collaboration with other organizations under the banner of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), to allow global communities access to promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need with acceptable quality. The platform of NNAK was grounded on the following objectives;

  • To assure quality in Nursing and Midwifery practice.
  • To strengthen strategic leadership and governance in all spheres of health.
  • To influence Nursing, Health and Social Policy.
  • To build and sustain strategic collaborations and partnership.

Under the aegis of commitments, goals and objectives of NNAK, the Global Research Nurses platform endeared itself to NNAK as a partner sharing similar objectives and aspirations. Coincidentally, NNAK is already a partner to seven other international organizations.

A meeting between The Global Health Network and National Nurses Association of Kenya was held on the 3rd November 2019. The meeting discussed strategies for collaboration and partnership. The next line of activity will lead to signing of Memorandum of Understanding as a guiding document for collaboration. There are many different areas for collaboration. For instance,

  • NNAK will use TGHN for e-Learning and Modular courses,
  • NNAK may find Professional Development Scheme (PDS) useful to their needs,
  •  both may host a joint workshop or a conference for the Nurses to share ideas,
  • create opportunities for exchange programme
  • Nightingale challenge

World Health Organization (WHO) has declared 2020 as the year of Nurses and Midwives professionals. Indeed, there could not have been a better time for collaboration than it is now. The Global Health Network will provide a platform for making research nurses in general and National Nurses Association of Kenya more visible nationally and globally.