Problem

• Most public hospital Emergency Departments (EDs) in Kenya are ill-equipped to handle critical cases​. These EDs are often overcrowded and operating in cramped or poorly designed spaces. They frequently lack essential lifesaving equipment and supplies. Moreover, the majority of ED staff in rural and regional hospitals have no specialized training in emergency medicine – they are general nurses or clinicians doing their best to treat trauma, heart attacks, difficult childbirths, and other emergencies without specific expertise or protocols. This situation leads to preventable deaths: patients who might survive with timely, well-organized emergency care are lost because the system around them is insufficient.

• Kenya’s challenge is not unique – many low-resource countries face similar issues in emergency care. However, there is evidence from neighboring countries that basic improvements can drastically reduce hospital mortality. The lack of structured emergency care is a critical gap in the health system, especially for rural populations who rely on these regional hospitals as their only option for urgent medical needs.