Kenyan students pursuing nursing and midwifery can now access flexible and affordable study loans to support their carrier.
This is after Amref Health Africa with funding from Johnson and Johnson Foundation partnered with the Higher Education Loans Board to implement a sustainable education financing programme in Kenya.
Helb CEO Charles Ringera in a letter to the Kenya Medical Training Institute CEO Kelly Oluoch dated January 25 said the financing product targets nursing students as part of a Global Nurse Education Finance Initiative.
“This aims to advance their education by removing economic barriers and contribute to the reduction of nurse shortage in Kenya,” Ringera said.
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He said the study loans targets nurses and midwives pursuing higher diploma, undergraduate, masters and PhD in approved training institutions in Kenya
“We, therefore, implore the support of your institution in creating awareness of the existence of the Advanced Nursing Education Fund,” he said.
Those who wish to apply for the loans can do so on the Helb website not later than June 30.
Currently, KMTC has more than 54,000 students undertaking higher diplomas, diplomas, certificates, and short courses.
Previously, KMTC students benefitted from Afya Elimu, a fund which had USAID as the main financier before it pulled out of the fund.
The fund was a contribution of various private entities that came together to finance student education which was disbursed thru HELB.
Kenya faces an acute shortage of nurses with just 60,000 nurses serving a population of over 50 million Kenyans.
This makes it difficult for Kenya to achieve sustainable healthcare and ensure healthy lives for all.
The world has an estimated 28 million nurses, who make up about 60 per cent of the global health sector professionals.
Even though nursing is the largest occupational group in the healthcare industry, the World Health Organization estimates that there is a global shortage of six million nursing professionals and the number is likely to rise to nine million by 2030.