Pumwani Hospital receives Sh2m equipment to boost maternal, newborn care

Pumwani Maternity Hospital has received medical equipment worth Sh2 million to boost capacity to provide comprehensive essential maternity and newborn care.

The equipment received from the Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, East Africa (CoEWCH EA) includes an ultrasound machine, a fridge and a printer.

The ultrasound machine will be used in antenatal care to assess foetal development, gestational age, foetal position and number of fetuses.

The ultrasound will also support early ultrasound screening for all pregnant women as per the World Health Organisation antenatal care guideline of at least one ultrasound exam during pregnancy, best done before 24 weeks.

This comes following the recently concluded Covid-19 in pregnancy study, funded by the WHO, led by CoEWCH EA in collaboration with Pumwani Maternity Hospital and Aga Khan University Hospital.

The study sought to determine if Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) infection during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse pregnancy, perinatal, neonatal and postpartum outcomes by collecting data from women infected with SARS-COV-2.

“We are pleased to see that research is improving quality of care in facilities and data is being used to make decisions,” Nairobi County Chief Officer for health facilities management Geoffrey Mosiria said.

“This handover is also contributing to the goal of Universal Health Care for all Kenyans by 2030 which includes the scaling up of maternal and child health,” Mosiria noted.

Pregnant women are among the vulnerable groups susceptible to respiratory infections placing them at high risk of contracting Covid-19 which can lead to severe illness creating a need for intensive care unit admission and ventilator requirements.

According to Marleen Temmerman, the study will help to develop recommendations on the surveillance, management, and counselling of women during and after pregnancy as well as their babies in the context of a pandemic.

“The findings from the study will also help to inform public health measures on infectious diseases and prevention measures and future research protocols,” Temmerman said.

Temmerman is the Director of the Aga Khan University’s Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health, EA and Principal Investigator of the WHO Covid-19 in pregnancy study.

Pumwani Maternity Hospital CEO Christine Kiteshu has underscored the need for studies which she said accelerate training and research on maternal and child care.