Partnerships

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.

The Department of Health Services on Friday convened a Reproductive Health and Family Planning Technical Working Group meeting to develop a coordinated plan for accelerating the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) initiative across Makueni County.

The meeting brought together key development partners, including Jhpiego, the Kenya Red Cross, Jacaranda Health, Women Engaged in Development, Anita Mbinya Foundation, VSO, Makueni Development Trust and Vitamin Angels, to strengthen collaborative efforts aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths.

Participants agreed on several priority actions to guide implementation of the initiative. These include establishing an EWENE Steering Committee to oversee implementation, strengthening Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR), improving emergency obstetric care and referral systems, enhancing access to essential health commodities and blood products, and ensuring that mothers receive postpartum family planning counselling and services before being discharged from health facilities.

The agreed interventions are expected to enhance coordination among stakeholders and improve the quality of maternal and newborn healthcare services across the county.

The County Government of Makueni, in partnership with CURE Kenya and CBM through the SHINE Project, successfully conducted a two-day training for Health Workers, Community Health Promoters (CHPs), and Community Resource Workers to strengthen disability inclusion, early identification, prevention, advocacy, and referral systems across the county.

The training equipped participants with practical skills in disability screening, early detection, rehabilitation, referral pathways, and community linkages, while enhancing their capacity to identify and support persons with disabilities. Participants were also sensitized on common congenital and physical disabilities, underscoring the importance of timely intervention in improving health outcomes.

The training was graced by the Director in charge of preventive and promotive Health,Dr. Stephen Mwatha, who reaffirmed the health workers’ commitment to strengthening disability-inclusive health services through continuous capacity building.

The initiative forms part of Makueni County’s broader efforts to build an inclusive health system by empowering front-line healthcare workers with the skills needed to promote early detection, timely referrals, and access to quality rehabilitation services.