Civil society groups and voluntary health workers in Laikipia have expressed concern over the shortage of nurses occasioned by a high number of those who are retiring without replacement.
The groups who have been volunteering in offering health services in villages noted that by next year over 50 nurses in Laikipia will have retired with no plans by the county government to replace them.
John Ngugi from DSW said that there is a need by the county government to allocate more funds to the ministry of health for employing nurses who are key players in the sector.
The groups who addressed the media during training on the need to hasten the rate of immunization among children under five years said that the level of the process is posing a challenge especially in Laikipia East Sub County where the number of children not immunized is going up rapidly.
During the last three-quarters of data collection, the number of children who never followed the immunization procedure rose from 280 to over 360 which is a worrying trend.
Some of the immunizations include measles, polio, whooping cough, tetanus, cervical cancer, and haemophilia among others.