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Expectant mothers and newborns in Homa Bay will benefit from the new maternal healthcare facilities.
The Sh38 million facilities were unveiled by Safaricom through its two foundations on Tuesday.
The health facilities situated at Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital and Ndhiwa Subcounty Hospital will improve maternal healthcare services in the county.
At the referral hospital, Safaricom Foundation constructed and expanded the newborn unit at a cost of Sh1.3million to increase the number of admission of infants from 10 to 35.
While at Ndhiwa Subcounty Hospital, the Safaricom foundation in partnership with Amref Health Africa constructed and equipped the maternal, newborn and children unit at Sh36.9 million.
Equipping of the facility was done through the Uzazi Salama initiative.
Homa Bay is one of the 15 counties in Kenya that Safaricom through its two foundations identified to build facilities for expectant mothers and newborns, to reduce maternal and infant mortalities.
The organisation also wanted to promote deliveries in health facilities.
Safaricom Foundation Trustee Patricia Ithau said the project in Ndhiwa will ensure effective and quality health services to targeted people.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and director of Amref Health Africa in Kenya Meshack Ndirangu were present.
Statistics indicate that at least 40 per cent of deliveries in Ndhiwa subcounty are done at home.
“Homa Bay is among the counties where expectant women and newborn babies are faced with challenges that lead to death. With the opening of the facility no mother should lose their child or their life during delivery, every baby should be saved,” Ithau said.
Health records revealed that 1,257 deliveries were recorded at Ndhiwa Subcounty Hospital between January to November this year.
Ndirangu said the project in Ndhiwa will strengthen primary healthcare with a focus on quality access to maternal health to fulfill the third Sustainable Development Goal.
He said his organisation is working with other partners to improve maternal health in the county.
Ndirangu said they want to reduce the county infant mortality rate, which currently stands at 326 per 100,000 live births.
“We’re strengthening primary health services with a focus on quality access and utilisation of maternal child health services. Our goal is to save lives of women, children and adolescents and improve their lives in Homa Bay,” he said.
Wanga said her government considers health as one of the priority areas.
She said the facility opened in Ndhiwa will be one of the best as some of the complicated cases during deliveries will be addressed locally.
The governor said there is a sizeable variance between mothers who attend clinics at prenatal, during delivery and antenatal.
She said up to 50 per cent of women from Ndhiwa were found to be shying away from delivering at the subcounty hospital, where they initially registered for prenatal services.
“The presence of this facility will attract mothers to deliver at the hospital. We hope challenges that cause maternal and infant mortalities will be addressed,” Wanga said.
The governor further said she intends to employ more healthcare workers.