A collaboration between the County Government of Kitui and
Kenyatta University is saving the lives of pregnant mothers and their unborn
babies particularly in the hard-to-reach areas.
The 2023 introduction of an innovative portable ultrasound machines through partnership with KU who are the developers, has notably scaled down maternal mortality as well as instances of still births and babies deaths.
“At the time the gadgets were introduced, maternal deaths were at 330 and now they have reduced to 253 in every 100,000 births. Child mortality has also dropped from 21 per a 1,000 live births to 13,” said Christine Sammy, the county reproductive health coordinator.
The life-saving initiative was part of the health innovations being showcased by Kitui county at the 9th Devolution Conference in Homa Bay county that concluded on Friday.
While demonstrating how the gadgets works, Sammy, said ultrasound services are essential for all pregnant mothers.
She said the Kitui department of health had already deployed 63 portable ultrasound devices to rural villages to assist pregnant mothers and reduce maternal and child mortality.
“Seventy-six health care workers have been trained in the handling and use of the portable ultrasound gadgets that are powered through charging like mobile phones,” the official said.
She added that the gadgets have been deployed to primary health care level facilities across the eight subcounties because mothers in peripheral areas have poor access to ultrasound services.
"We have seen significant reduction in maternal deaths since the deployment of the devices in village health facilities. Healthcare workers are able to detect any abnormalities early in order to do referrals, thus saving lives," the medic said.
Sammy said the devices help by giving accurate information on fetal heart rate, the fetal presentation in the womb, the level of amniotic fluid and placenta status.
"The information relayed by the portable ultrasound devices is as good as that of equipment found in Level 4 hospitals. There is no longer need for pregnant mothers to travel long distances to seek these services," she said.
She noted that before the deployment of the portable devices, ultrasound services were only available in Kitui Referral Hospital and Mwingi Level 4 Hospital, out of 311 health facilities spread across the county.
Kitui chief officer for public health Lynn Kitwan, hailed the efficiency and accuracy of the portable ultrasound gadgets. She said they have eased the process of accessing ultrasound services for pregnant mothers.
"We have witnessed reduced maternal complications and an impressive drop in maternal deaths. There is also improved skilled delivery since the majority of pregnant mothers are currently delivering in health facilities," Kitwan said.
The chief officer further disclosed that there were plans to deploy the portable ultrasound to more health facilities across Kitui so as to reach a larger segment of the populace.
