MAKUENI PARTNERS WITH LEARDAL GLOBAL TO STRENGTHEN MATERNAL, NEWBORN CARE
For many parents, the birth of a child is one of life’s most joyous moments. Yet the day of birth can also be one of the most critical periods for both mother and baby.
According to the World Bank, more than 70 per cent of maternal and neonatal deaths occur around the time of labour and delivery, underscoring the need for timely and effective interventions during childbirth.
Complications such as postpartum haemorrhage and newborn asphyxia can occur without warning, requiring healthcare workers to respond swiftly to save lives.
To strengthen emergency response during childbirth, Makueni County has partnered with Laerdal Global Health, a Tanzania-based non-governmental organisation that supports health systems to improve the delivery of lifesaving care.
The partnership seeks to equip frontline healthcare workers with the tools, skills and confidence needed to identify complications and respond quickly and effectively during labour, delivery and the immediate postnatal period.
Through the Safer Births Bundle of Care (SBBC) programme, the county is in the process of procuring innovative clinical tools introduced by the partner to strengthen intrapartum and newborn care across its health facilities.
Among the tools is Moyo, a fetal heart rate monitoring device worn around a pregnant woman’s abdomen to monitor fetal heart rate during labour.
The county is also procuring NeoBeat, a newborn heart rate meter placed around the baby’s chest to monitor the heartbeat, alongside Upright and Penguin devices to support newborn care.
Makueni County Executive Committee Member for Health Services Joyce Mutua on Friday officially closed a six-day training for maternal and newborn health experts conducted by the Laerdal Global Health team at the Mother and Child Hospital.
Mutua welcomed the initiative, saying it would strengthen the county’s efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths and complement other interventions being implemented by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.’s administration to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
