The Association of Registered Nurse Anesthetists-Kenya (ARNA-Kenya) has hosted the first ever Pan African Nurse Anesthetists Conference (PANAC 2024) aimed at enhancing maternal and child healthcare in Kenya and Africa through safe anesthesia.
This event unites nurse anesthetists from across Africa to explore ways to make anesthesia care safer for pregnant women and their babies. It also highlights how nurse anesthetists can improve the overall care system for safe deliveries during childbirth, and provides a platform for hands-on training sessions to teach or refresh important skills.
According to The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), over 80 percent of maternal deaths are attributed to poor quality of care. Maternal mortality after caesarean delivery in Africa is 50 times higher than that of high-income countries. Despite measures put in place to curb this, Kenya’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) remains high at 362 deaths per 100,000 live births. A primary contributor to this high MMR is the lack of access to essential surgical care, particularly life-saving procedures such as caesarean sections. Improved access to surgical and anaesthesia services can drastically reduce maternal deaths by addressing complications like obstructed labour, haemorrhage, and infections.
Speaking during the conference, Mary Mungai, Patron of ARNA-Kenya said: “PANAC 2024 is a significant milestone for nurse anaesthetists in Africa. It provides an unprecedented opportunity to unify our efforts in improving anaesthesia care, ensuring safer surgical outcomes for millions. This conference is not just about professional development; it’s about saving lives.”
The conference is being held from 18th to 20th June, and it brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders to address critical issues in anaesthesia care across the continent. A 2017 survey by the World Federation of Societies of Anesthesiologists (WFSA) revealed that Kenya had only 0.44 physician anesthesiologists per 100,000 people. Including non-physician anaesthesia providers (NPAPs), this figure rises to only 1.7 per 100,000, far below the recommended 4 per 100,000. This workforce shortage significantly reduces access to and safety of surgical services in many parts of Africa, and the conference seeks to improve these numbers.
