Rural Health Nursing Services are under the charge-ship and direction of the District Public Health Nurse

(DPHN) who is based in each district at the office of the Medical Officer of Health. The DPHN represents
the Chief Nursing Officer at the district level and provide leadership to all nurses in the district rural
health facilities (RHFs) and those that are community-based. The DPHN is the custodian of nursing
standards at this level of service delivery and is responsible for overseeing policy implementation;
setting, reviewing and implementing nursing standards; supervising delivery of nursing services; and
looking into the interests and welfare of nurses. The DPHN is also responsible for the delivery of extra-
facility nursing services such as home-based care, community midwifery, and school health. The DPHN
supervises private nurse practitioners in the district and the unskilled healthcare providers like TBAs,
CBHWs, CBDs, and CORPs, and is responsible for ensuring their competence, efficiency, and
effectiveness.

The Office of the Chief Nursing Officer provides overall national leadership in nursing. The CNO
and staff form the Division of Nursing at the Ministry of Health Headquarters. The Division is
responsible for policy formulation and dissemination, and overall supervision of nursing services
in Kenya .

•  The Office of the Provincial Nursing Officer is based at each of the provincial health offices.
These officers represent the Chief Nursing Officer at the provincial levels. They provide
leadership to all nurses in their respective provinces and are responsible for policy interpretation
and dissemination, and supervision of nursing services within their jurisdictions. They also
advice the respective PMOs on nursing matters.

•  Hospital Nursing Services under the charge-ship of the Nursing Officer In-charge (N.O. i/c) of
each hospital. In some hospitals, especially in the private sector, different titles are used such as
the Director of Nursing Services, Chief Nurse, etc. The N.O. i/c represents the Chief Nursing
Officer at the hospital level and provides leadership to all nurses in the hospital. The N.O. i/c is
the custodian of nursing standards at this level of service delivery and is responsible for
overseeing policy implementation; setting, reviewing and implementing of nursing standards;
supervising delivery of nursing services; and looking into the interests and welfare of nurses.

DIVISION OF NURSING

Vision

•  Empowered Kenyan nurses that have the capacity to provide efficient, effective, acceptable,
affordable, accessible and available high quality nursing services to Kenyans.

•  Smooth collaboration between nurses and other members of the healthcare team and strong
partnership with individuals, families and communities in the provision of high quality health
services.
Mission

Overall Mission of Nursing Sub-Sector

Provide high quality preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative nursing services to all
Kenyans irrespective of their ages, gender, economic status, colour, creed, ethnicity, political
affiliation, and in accordance with the existing laws, rules, regulations, policies and guidelines.

The Division of Nursing

•  Provide leadership and manage nursing services that improves the health status of all Kenyans
through provision of high quality preventive, promotive, curative, and rehabilitative nursing
services.

•  Enforce values, policies and standards that prepare and enable nurses practice nursing
effectively and efficiently to satisfy the health needs of Kenyans within the context of established
national policies and guidelines.

Mandate

The Division of Nursing is one of the divisions in the Ministry of Health. The Chief Nursing
Officer is the H ead of the Division of Nursing.

Health Systems Challenges

Emerging policies/ restructures

Poor integration of supervisory activities amongst partners

Weak referral networks

Low implementation of community strategy

Low utilization of some facilities- Municipal

Weak municipal health systems

EROKAMANO !