Pregnant women in Lumakanda, Kakamega county can now access quality maternal services following the launch of a new maternity wing at Lumakanda Hospital.
The maternity wing was commissioned by Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, on Monday.
It was constructed under the county's Tutunze Kakamega initiative in partnership with Jacaranda Health Think-well organisation.
Barasa said the initiative's main aim is to reduce maternal and neonatal death rates in the county.
He said the project will expand and equip maternity and new-born units and improve urgent and emergency referral systems.
Barasa said this will be done in addition to the provision of healthcare education to women with new-born babies via Jacaranda’s prompt SMS system.
“I have come here today to launch the new Tutunze Kakamega programme aimed at enhancing healthcare in Lugari," he said.
"This is the second Subcounty after Malava to benefit from this project, which is supposed to be launched accross the county."
Matungu, Navakholo and Butere Subcounties are set to benefit from the project in the next 15 months.
The maternal and neonatal mortality rates in Kakamega county are 316 per 100, 000 live births and 19 per 1,000 live births as of 2014.
The project hopes to meet SDG targets of 70 per 100, 000 live births and 12 per 1,000 in five years.
Only 37 per cent of Kakamega county’s births occur in facilities equipped to handle maternal emergencies.
Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, thanked Barasa and partners for upgrading the maternity wing citing rising need to improve maternal services across the constituency.
“Please upgrade dispensaries to health facilities as promised so that they can cater for the growing number of patients," hue said.
"The issue of drugs also need to be addressed because patients are still buying drugs despite them being sent to the facilities."
He urged the county to complete the construction of Marukusi dispensary that has stalled.
County Executive Committee member in charge of health, Dr Bernard Wesonga urged women in the constituency to use available facilities during child birth to reduce mortality rates.
“We are doing all it takes to ensure our facilities are expanded. I have asked the Chief Officer for health to replace the contractor at Marukusi dispensary,” he said.
This is despite of the fact that 99 per cent of women in Kakamega live within 1 hour of an advanced Level 4 / 5 facility.
Despite increased utilisation of facilities for childbirth, decline in maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity has stagnated in many low-and middle-income countries.
A growing body of evidence suggests that this may be because facilities are unable to effectively manage delivery complications and sick new-borns.
The second phase of the project will involve 66 health facilities in Likuyani, Mumias West, Navakholo and Shinyalu Subcounties refurbished.
Seventy five health facilities in Ikolomani, Khwisero, Lurambi, Matungu, and Mumias East Subcounties will benefit in phase four.
