Kakamega steps up efforts to curb newborn, maternal deaths
From left: Kakamega County Medical Services Chief Officer David Alilah, Health Executive Peninah Mukabane, Lwala Community Alliance Co-CEO Julius Mbeya and Lwala Policy and Advocacy Director Kenneth Ogendo during the signing of the MoU on reducing maternal and newborn mortalities in the region.
What you need to know:
- Kakamega County’s neonatal mortality rate stands at 23 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- For maternal mortality, the county stands at 316 deaths per every 100,000 deliveries against the national ratio of 355 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Kakamega County government has partnered with a local NGO to step up efforts aimed at preventing neonatal and maternal deaths.
The county signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lwala Community Alliance on expansion, improvement and equipping of health facilities and a newborn unit at Kakamega General Hospital, training of health workers, and strengthening of community health systems.
Health Executive Peninah Mukabane welcomed the partnership, noting that the county’s neonatal mortality rate stands at 23 deaths per 1,000 live births.
For maternal mortality, the county stands at 316 deaths per every 100,000 deliveries, against the national ratio of 355 deaths per 100,000 live births. “Therefore, the county still needs to put more effort to bring the numbers down.
“Through this initiative, Lwala will provide a non-pneumatic anti-shock garment - a first-aid device used to stabilise women who are suffering from obstetric hemorrhage and shock. We project to reduce neonatal mortality by about 49 per cent," said Ms Mukabane.
She said the aim of the partnership is to reduce all preventable neonatal deaths by ensuring that all expectant women receive antenatal care and deliver in hospitals.
Ms Mukabane added that through the MoU, Lwala Community Alliance will offer training to health workers, conduct mentorship programmes, provide reporting tools for data collection and do quarterly visits to identified facilities.
The county government, she noted, will ensure hospitals are equipped with drugs.
Lwala Co-CEO Julius Mbeya said postpartum hemorrhage or excessive bleeding after childbirth is the leading cause of maternal deaths in Kenya.
"We will deploy the use of a non-pneumatic anti-shock garment to control haemorrhage, which accounts for more than 50 per cent of maternal mortality. We aim to achieve zero neonatal and maternal deaths by working with community health committees.”
The newborn unit at Kakamega Genral Hospital will be equipped with incubators, continuous positive airway pressure machines (for treating sleep apnea), phototherapy machines (for treating jaundice in newborns), fluid pumps, oxygen splitters, light metres, radiant warmers, oxygen concentrators, and resuscitating machines, among others.
“The equipment will help support pre-term babies and those born with congenital conditions until they are fit to survive on their own once discharged,” pointed out Mr Mbeya.
He said the programme is doing well in Migori, Siaya and Homa Bay counties.
Kakamega acting Public Health Chief Officer Rose Muhanda said the collaboration is key in strengthening Community Health Promoters (CPHs) who make prompt referrals from the community.
"This partnership will strengthen CPHs to map all households for easy referrals. This will see more expectant women attend at least eight antenatal clinics, which is a boost in prevention of maternal deaths,” she said.
The county government has been improving community health programmes to better connect pregnant women with necessary medical services and social asupport networks in a move aimed at boosting maternal health. The deployment of 4,200 CHPs in the devolved unit is a significant step toward improving healthcare access at the grassroots level.
They are expected to maintain a register of expectant mothers within their allocated households and to monitor them to ensure they are doing well and that they attend their antenatal clinics accordingly.
