Nairobi, July 23 -- Kenya has one doctor for more than 5,000 people, far below the World Health Organisation's recommendation of one doctor for every 1,000 people. The shortage continues to widen as trained clinicians migrate abroad while the country's population keeps growing.

Yet millions of Kenyans access healthcare not through hospitals or specialist clinics, but through neighbourhood pharmacies.

This reflects how healthcare already functions in practice. Across urban, peri-urban and rural communities, pharmacies are often the most accessible, affordable and immediate point of care. They operate without appointments, lengthy queues or referral letters, making them the first stop for many seeking treatment.

Not every illness require...