The effort to reduce newborn and maternal mortality in the country has received a major boost after the launch of the renovated modern maternal high dependency unit at KNH-Othaya in Nyeri county.
Also launched was a 10-baby cot state-of-the-art newborn unit.
The facility has been fitted with electric ICU/HDU beds, patient monitors, infusion and syringe pumps, defibrillator and electrocardiogram machine.
The aim is to ensure a boost in managing complications arising in the neonatal period that more often leads to deaths.
KNH-Othaya being a national referral hospital, the new unit will also allow counties in the region to refer newborns for care and treatment to the facility thus helping in decongesting county referral hospitals as well as KNH in Nairobi.
In addition, it will serve as a training centre for advanced neonatal care for healthcare workers in the region.
“It is because of such developments that the country has recorded significant gains in reducing maternal mortality in recent years. But our success is not just premised on this. It is also premised on increased access to quality maternal healthcare at our facilities coupled with the abolishment of delivery fees in public hospitals,” Health CS Mutahi Kagwe said during the launch.
“The launch of this facility is a testament that the government remains committed to celebrate and honour mothers through the improvement of maternal health infrastructure and interpersonal quality of care across the country,” Kagwe added.
Data from the ministry shows that Kenya’s maternal mortality ratio stood as 362 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births and a still birth rate of 23 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014.
Data also shows that one in every 37 pregnant women in Kenya will actually die due to complications while giving birth.
A recent report by WHO and UNICEF shows that the stillbirth rate in Kenya in 2000 was 22.5 per cent, 20.6 per cent in 2010 and 19.7 per cent in 2019.
This represents a 12.1 per cent decline between 2000 and 2019 at an annual rate of reduction of 0.7 per cent.
With increased interventions, this is an improvement from 488 per 100,000 live births in 2008 and more progress in reduction of maternal health is expected when another demographic health survey is conducted later this year.
Data also shows that under five mortality has decreased by 50 per cent since 1990, but the CS has noted that the progress is not where the country ought to be.
“To improve and sustain this trajectory, the government has embarked on implementing quality of care initiative including maternal and perinatal deaths surveillance and response,” the CS said.
He added: “The system utilises data from maternal deaths in an audit system to spark a response cycle to prevent future maternal and perinatal deaths.”
The renovation was done through the support of Safaricom Foundation.
The government is now urging all mothers to seek both antenatal and postnatal care services at public health facilities in the country, adding that it is continually strengthening evidence based interventions in an effort to improve the healthcare system in the country.
-Edited by SKanyara