Nurses form the backbone of healthcare systems, delivering essential services that protect and promote population health and wellbeing. Yet, even as they care for others, their health and well-being often go unnoticed and underprioritised.
The Covid-19 pandemic was a stark reminder of the heavy toll exacted on nurses. We had rising rates of burnout, moral distress, physical exhaustion, and long shifts in poorly resourced environments.
This crisis sparked global talks about the urgent need to protect nurses’ physical and mental health, not just as a moral imperative, but as a strategic investment.
In their day-to-day duties, nurses have to navigate complex ethical dilemmas and take up the weight of responsibility in the face of limited staff, inadequate equipment, and surging patient needs as experienced in the pandemic.
While the ethical argument is clear, the economic case is equally compelling. Investing in the health and well-being of nurses yields measurable benefits: fewer medical errors, improved patient outcomes, reduced absenteeism, and increased national productivity.
Healthy, motivated nurses contribute to more efficient healthcare systems and stronger economies.
This May, the world marked International Nurses Day under the theme ‘Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring Nurses Strengthen Economies,’ we call on governments, institutions, and society to recognise nurses as more than caregivers. They are key drivers of sustainable development.
The World Health Organisation estimates a global shortage of 4.5 million nurses by 2030, with the largest gaps in Africa, South-East Asia, and the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Despite being 29 million strong globally, nurses remain under-resourced, underpaid, and overburdened.
Evidence shows that investments in nurses pay off. The International Council of Nurses 2025 report notes that poor health among healthcare workers accounts for two percent of total health expenditure, while patient harm linked to workforce shortages and burnout consumes a staggering 13 percent of global health spending.
On the flip side, even a one percent increase in nursing numbers can raise life expectancy by 0.02 percent, which translates to a 2.4 percent increase in income growth.
Well-supported nurses also reduce strain on public healthcare systems and social welfare programmes. Hospitals function more efficiently.
Recovery times improve. Errors decline. National productivity rises. For initiatives like Universal Health Coverage to succeed, a strong, supported nursing workforce is non-negotiable. Investing in nurses contributes to economic growth, gender equity, and stronger health systems.
A healthy nurse is the foundation of a healthy nation. Let’s stop treating nurses’ wellbeing as an afterthought, but instead start seeing it as the engine of economic resilience, better health outcomes, and development.
The State of the World’s Nursing Report highlights that creating 6 million new nursing jobs by 2030 could significantly improve global healthcare delivery.
This means investing in remuneration, career development, and mental health support, factors shown to influence 83.2 percent of healthcare worker performance.
Retention is also a pressing concern. One in every eight nurses’ practices outside the country where they were born or trained, leading to talent drain in low-income nations.
Meanwhile, advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners, midwives, and clinical nurse specialists, remain underutilised, despite their potential to transform health systems and lead global health initiatives.
It’s time for policy reforms that reflect the value nurses bring: increased healthcare funding, fair wages, workplace protections, and career advancement opportunities.
According to the Future of Nursing Report (2020–2030), nurses’ wellbeing must be addressed at all levels, from education to retirement, and across all practice settings. This requires a system-wide shift that embeds wellbeing into the heart of health policy.
The writer is a lecturer and Associate Dean at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, Kenya Campus
