The First Lady Margaret Kenyatta (right) speaks to a mother during the official opening of Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby Wing at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital in October 2018. Improvement of health services in Nakuru has led to a decline in maternal and infant deaths. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP The statistics link the decline in the deaths to improvements made in health facilities.
These include revamping of maternity hospitals in the region and availability of enough staff and equipment.
Initially, Nakuru was among regions in Kenya with a high maternal mortality rate.
Maternal mortality rates have declined in Nakuru by over 50 per cent in the past one year, statistics from the county’s Health department have shown.
The figures show that maternal deaths in the region have dropped from 374 per 100,000 live births to about 180.
Neonatal deaths between January and September 2018 stood at 454 while still births due to difficulties during labour, bleeding and hypertension stood at 1,346.
The statistics link the decline in the deaths to improvements made in health facilities including revamping of maternity hospitals in the region and availability of enough staff and equipment to give effective services to mothers and babies.
ANTENATAL CLINICS
The statistics further indicate that about 96 per cent of pregnant mothers in Nakuru County attend at least one antenatal clinic while 48 per cent attend four antenatal clinics, with at least 70 per cent giving birth in hospitals.
In 2013, Nakuru County had a skilled delivery of 51 per cent.
In 2014 it was ranked among the top four counties in Kenya with high maternal death burden by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA).According to the County Health Executive Kariuki Gichuki, the previous high maternal mortality rates were due to low use of maternal health services.Dr Gichuki revealed that at least 100 hospitals are offering maternal healthcare services in the county, up from about 70 facilities in 2013 when devolution started. MATERNITY WING The opening of the 250-bed capacity Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby Wing at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital in 2018 has played a significant role curbing maternal deaths.The state-of-the-art facility built at a cost of more than Sh400 million is the biggest maternity wing in the larger Rift Valley region.It also serves Bomet, Baringo, Narok, Kericho, Samburu, Laikipia and Nyandarua counties.According to the Nakuru Level Five Hospital Medical Superintendent Joseph Mburu, the facility has contributed immensely […]
