Multifactorial Health Care Challenges

All countries in the world are affected by diverse, multifactorial health challenges. In Africa, these challenges are characterized by a high burden of disease, poor governance, economic issues, poor distribution of resources, and political instability that make it extremely difficult to deliver high-quality health care to the population (Ezeh, 2015). Such challenges are a reflection of one of the major shortcomings that exist within the healthcare system, which is nursing leadership. Ezeh (2015), and World Health Organisation (WHO, 2015), revealed that most researchers viewed the African health system as fragile and weak. This is evident from the African health leaders’ lack of autonomy and spontaneous response in resolving health care crises

However, leadership and management have different traits. When considering the two categories, the former is more relevant to the current health care environment that requires the remodeling of the health care system in order to respond well to the current health care challenges. Managers control and maintain the status quo and are concerned about organizational structures and procedures in the current period (Tomey, 2007). On the other hand, nurse leaders are innovative, self-directed, self-motivated, originate, focus on purpose, do the right things, are challenged by change, are visionaries and have a future time frame (Tomey, 2007 & Geyer, 2013). In addition, nurse leaders have knowledge of wider contemporary issues in nursing and an understanding of factors that can affect or improve the profession as well as service delivery (Antrobus & Kitson, as cited in Scully, 2015). In this regard, Wilson & Fowler (2012) argue that strengthening nursing leadership will help in restructuring the weak health care system at all levels, local, national and

Scully (2015) argues that if nurse leaders are not recognized, their talents will disintegrate or worse, the nurses could leave the stagnant profession and go elsewhere where their talents are noticed and upheld. The current and future demands of the dynamic healthcare environment need aggressive nursing leadership integration in all health care settings for an effective response to the local and global demands of the health care system. This will strengthen the status of the profession and service delivery in all settings within the African continent which nurses are entitled to serve by virtue of being advocates of good health for the general population. Thus being irresponsive to the looming crisis of nursing leadership will lead to all the efforts of the minority who are trying to effect change within the continent to be shattered