Written By Ramadhan Kambi | |
A high number of women delivering their newborns in hospitals has reduced the cases of maternal deaths in Kilifi County.
Now authorities say the reduction to the same has been occasioned by increased sensitization program organized by the department of health in the grassroots.
That is to ensure expectant mothers deliver in hospitals.
Currently, the number of those delivering in hospitals has risen up and in some health facilities, there is limited space leading to a demand for more maternity facilities.
The revelations were made at the Kilifi County teaching and referral hospital during the official handing over of maternal health care facilities donated by SportPesa foundation to help them handle the increased demand for maternal health services.
Sportpesa foundation maternal health care program officials led by Esther Kang’ethe and brand Ambassador and Kenya celebrated Boxer Fatuma Zarika donated beds for the maternity wards, delivery beds, patient trolleys, procedure trolleys, patient monitors, pulse oximeters, vital sign monitors and dopplers to improve its maternal health care services.
Kilifi CEC Member for health Charles Dadu said they are also planning to take the sensitization to another level by ensuring they start awareness from Nyumba 10 level to ensure any pregnant woman is reached out and made to visit the hospital.
Maternal Health Awareness
Mr Dadu said their aim is to ensure all women deliver in health facilities so as to end maternal deaths completely.
He said they are in the process of packaging maternal health awareness content which will be played on television screens across the maternity facilities in the county so as to enlighten the women whenever they visit hospitals.
The CEC member thanked SportPesa for using Champions and Ambassadors in passing out the message that it is possible to end challenges of maternal health.
“When you look at those women who die due to complications it’s because of lack of blood or other health challenges which were not detected early, here we have critical care units which are able to detect such threats early and address them,” he said
Kilifi county Reproductive health Coordinator Ken Miriti said in 2013 Kilifi recorded 407 mortality deaths out of the 100,000 births.
He said currently they are recording an increase in mothers coming to deliver in hospitals which has contributed to the reduction of maternal deaths as expectant mothers are able to get proper medical care.
“Right now, we have tripled the number of deliveries conducted across the county which are done in hospitals,” he said.
Mr Miriti said the support by sportpesa to help monitor mothers during labor will go a long way in further reduction of maternal mortality.
SportPesa Foundation launched its Maternal Health Care support program in March 2021 to equip the maternity units of needy hospitals across Kenya with an aim of promoting hospital deliveries that are deemed safer.
The SportPesa Foundation‘s project lead said they have been keen on supporting maternal health services and managed to reach out to seven counties.
Mr Kang’ethe said Kilifi was the first county to benefit from the program this year adding that Sportpesa was keen in supporting Maternal health care as it was
“The need for these maternal healthcare services is growing by the day in Kilifi which leads to overcrowding in the maternity ward, a very risky affair especially during these Covid-19 times,” she said.
SportPesa brand ambassador and Kenya’s celebrated female boxer Zarika Fatuma emphasized the need to reduce teen pregnancy rates in the area further by stepping up family planning sensitization efforts.
“I plead with our young women to seek counsel and support from the government on family planning. Nevertheless, giving birth at a young age should give you the drive to work harder for your children as I have done in my life, rising above the challenges to better their lives,” noted the former World Boxing Council’s Super Bantamweight champion.
Zarika who gave birth while still a teenager said she was inspired to pursue a career in boxing to fend for her baby, a sport that has catapulted her to the global stage. She called on mothers to give birth in hospitals for safer deliveries – a call that resonates with SportPesa Foundation’s maternal healthcare support program.
Also Present during the Ceremony was the Chief officer for health Bilal Madzoya, Kilifi Hospital medical Superintendent Eddy Nzomo , matron Janet Rotich.
Nzomo said as a referral hospital they are in dire need of support for maternal health care as the number of women delivering in hospitals has gone up by three times in the last three years.
“When we see donors seeking to support in the maternal health care for us, we do really appreciate so we thank the sponsors and the department of health for allowing the donors without any restrictions,” he said.
On her part, Rotich who is the matron said in November last year they had admissions of 668 mothers and deliveries of 531 while in December they had admissions of 585mothers and 527 deliveries.
“Our ranges that we have been doing are 520 and 600 deliveries per month so our bed capacity is 51 when we look at the numbers that we have its not tallying it means we have c challenge of space,” she said.
Jacqueline Dama a mother of three from Misufini who delivered a baby boy at the hospital said she has given birth to all her children at the hospital safely adding that the health workers were doing a commendable job in ensuring the safety of the mothers.
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