Kitui neonatal nurse feted by Uhuru to be promoted

Kitui neonatal nurse, Christine Sammy, will be promoted to Nursing director for her exemplary commitment and selflessness to the well-being of mothers and newborns, health executive Winnie Kitetu has said.

Kitetu said the nurse who is in charge of the newborn unit at the Kitui County Referral Hospital who was last week honoured by President Uhuru as a trailblazer in reproductive health deserved a promotion.

“Christine has been in the frontline in the fight against mother-child mortality and she has pioneered a lot of projects related to newborn units. She had fought for budget lines for the county to establish newborn units,” she said on phone on Saturday.

Kitetu said due to Sammy’s efforts several newborn units have been set up in the county government-run medical facilities and mission hospitals in Kitui.

The executive said the award to the nurse was a big boost to the image of Kitui as she had been overwhelmingly supported by the Kitui leadership in all her worthy endeavours.

“She is someone who the county can rely on and is therefore poised to go far. Many positions are being created and I would recommend her to be the Nursing county director,”  Kitetu said.

She said the many awards by Christine were well deserved.

She is credited with setting up the first-ever newborn unit at the Kitui County Referral Hospital in 2010.

Her efforts had at the time seen the newborn mortality drop from 70 per cent to under 10 per cent.

She has in the past won both local and international awards for her role in saving the lives of mothers and newborns.

Christine was among 15 Kenyans who were honoured by President Kenyatta for their efforts in empowering and defending the rights of women.

During International Women's day, at which the head of state presided over the unveiling of the Margret Kenyatta Institute for Gender and Social Development at the Kenya School of Government, nurse Sammy won the Trailblazer awards 2022.

It was in recognition of her contribution to women’s reproductive health.

Earlier she had locally been awarded the presidential order of the grand warrior and also won the international neonatal nurses of excellence award in 2013 and the Beyond Zero Health award.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris