Mothers and pregnant women in Lamu are appealing for special prenatal and baby clinics to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19 in general hospitals.
The women are concerned that hospitals are always crowded, a factor that predisposes them and their babies to coronavirus.
Speaking at the King Fahd hospital on Wednesday, Hafswa Yusna who is expecting her second child, said it is impossible for pregnant women attending prenatal clinics to observe social distancing.
She said it would be better for the county government to set aside special clinics away from hospitals and other areas prone to crowding only for pregnant women and mothers of newborns seeking services.
“I come for my clinics twice a month and it’s very hard to maintain social distance as the hospital is always crowded all the way from the entrance to the other areas. The thought of contracting Covid-19 in a hospital scares me. Let them put up clinics for us elsewhere,” Yusna said.
The women are proposing that the special clinics be partitioned to allow for the one-metre social distancing.
The county health office recently said that pregnant women and mothers of newborns were no longer attending clinics for fear of contracting Covid-19.
King Fahad clinical manager Mariam Bakari said the facility had recorded a low number of individuals seeking clinical services since March this year.
She, however, encouraged the women to come for the clinics saying the administration had made adequate plans to ensure safety for everyone.
“There is a decline in the number of pregnant mothers attending clinics in our health facilities since March. While we would attend to over 50 women daily back then, now we receive less than 20. Women don’t want to come for fear that they might contract coronavirus,” Bakari said.
She, however, said all clinical departments are under strict instruction to ensure all persons seeking services fully adhere to Covid-19 regulations.
“We ensure social distancing, face masks, sanitising and other measures. It's not healthy for the pregnant women or babies to miss out on crucial vaccinations and shots,” she said.
Edited by R.Wamochie
