Nurses have been asked to apply for the neonatal training in Kenyan Universities and Colleges so that they can get trained in the sub- specialties of neonatology and neurology services.
This exercise is funded by the World Bank and the Kenya Paediatric fellowship program.
Head of division of neonatal and child health, department of family health ministry, Caroline Mwangi, said the training program aims at promoting health service delivery in the neonatal and neural departments and boost the health the people.
Mwangi encouraged health care workers to apply for the training positions so that they can be trained and improve service delivery in healthcare facilities.
She also urged county governments to support the program and ensure that nurses attend the training program.
“Before, such training was offered abroad but now we are privileged to have it here in the country. I appeal to healthcare workers to apply in huge numbers and get trained,” she said.
Mwangi was speaking to the press at Bungoma county referral hospital at the paediatric section during the launch of the scale up plan for the use of Chlorhexidine Digluconate.
As part of the big four agenda of President Kenyatta’s government, Mwangi lauded the government through the Ministry of Health for implementing kangaroo mother care clinics in the 40 counties.
This is to ensure that mothers are catered for during delivery.
“Out of the 47 counties, the Ministry of Health has established kangaroo mother care clinics in the 40 counties to help in providing maternal healthcare to mothers and new-born babies and curb frequent deaths,” she noted.
She revealed that the government has trained 800 healthcare workers who are allocated in health facilities to offer care services in Kangaroo mother clinics.
She added that Bungoma county is among the health facilities offering care services at Kangaroo mother care clinics.
“I take this opportunity to thank Bungoma county government and Bungoma county referral hospital management for the good work they are doing to ensure that patients who visit health facilities are attended to well,” she said.
She lauded the exemplary job done by Governor Wangamati in putting up a 300 bed capacity hospital for expectant mothers and new-born babies.
On his part, Bungoma County referral hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr. David Wanikina, revealed that Bungoma records a high number of premature births and underweight babies.
He added that 600 are born prematurely per month 2,200 babies are born with below 2.5Kgs.
Wanikina urged expectant mothers to embrace antenatal care visits to help in curbing complications during birth.
He attributed poor nutrition, stress and general health being the factors causing premature births and low birth weights.
“We encourage expectant mothers to have balanced diet feeds and complete all the eight antenatal care visits as it will help in ending premature birth cases and underweight in our county,” Wanikina stated.
Patrick Wandili, the Chief Officer for health and sanitation, said that the county government decided to put up a 300 bed capacity wing that will handle mother’s issues and their new-born.
“The building that is being put up opposite this paediatric section is for our mothers and new-born care, I think in future the rate at which premature births are recorded now will go down because we will have specialists who will be monitoring everything,” Wandili said.