Severe nurse shortage in newborn units threatens Kenya’s healthcare goals – study
By Aloys Michael, August 17, 2025A critical shortage of nurses in public hospital newborn units is undermining Kenya’s efforts to provide quality care for sick and premature infants, according to a new study.
The staffing crisis is significantly impacting the country’s progress toward reducing neonatal deaths and achieving Universal Health Coverage.
The findings are part of a study titled “Harnessing Innovation in Global Health for Quality Care (HIGH-Q),” conducted by the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme in collaboration with the Kenya Paediatric Research Consortium (KEPRECON) and the University of Oxford, and funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
The research published on Saturday, August 16, 2025, revealed that in many public hospitals, nurses in newborn units are only able to deliver about one-third of the care required for each infant.
“With staffing ratios as low as one nurse to 25 babies in some facilities, the study found that a nurse could only allocate roughly 30 minutes per baby during a 12-hour shift, well below global standards for safe and effective neonatal care,” the study explains.
Researchers emphasised the critical role neonatal nurses play in monitoring newborns, feeding, administering medication, ensuring hygiene, managing emergencies, and supporting mothers. However, extreme patient loads and inadequate staffing have led to burnout and stress among nurses, contributing to lapses in essential care.
“Mothers surveyed also reported stress and confusion due to poor communication,” the study noted.
“Infrastructural challenges such as overcrowded wards, makeshift buildings, and the absence of private spaces further compromised hygiene, safety, and the emotional well-being of both mothers and infants.”
To address these challenges, the HIGH-Q study tested three key interventions across eight county hospitals participating in the Clinical Information Network under the Newborn Essential Solutions and Technologies (NEST 360°) Programme: increasing nurse staffing, introducing ward assistants for routine tasks, and enhancing nurses’ communication skills through training.
All three approaches led to improved outcomes, but researchers concluded that adequate staffing remained the most urgent and impactful solution.
“Put simply, it will be hard to advance quality of care to the level we all want to see without improving nurse staffing and the wards in which doctors, nurses, and mothers must all work together,” KEMRI says.
KEMRI stressed the importance of informing policy reforms aimed at strengthening health systems and reducing preventable newborn deaths.
“We must strengthen our workforce, improve hospital environments, and ensure every newborn receives the quality care they deserve. The good news is that the government, through the Ministry of Health, is taking decisive steps using the very solutions identified by this research,” the study read.