Wajir women urged to deliver in hospitals to reduce mortality rate

Pregnant mothers in Wajir county have been urged to deliver in health facilities to further reduce the maternal mortality rate.

Wajir is one of the 15 counties that account for over 60 per cent of maternal deaths in Kenya. The latest maternal mortality ratio estimate is 1,683 deaths per 100,000 live births.

The numbers have, however, drastically reduced since the onset of devolution.

The number of operational health facilities in the county is 117, up from 58 before 2013. There are also 335 nurses, up from 61.

From a single ambulance, there are now 25 and 64 maternal wings.

Speaking in Meygag on Monday during the commissioning of a dispensary Governor Mohamed Abdi urged expectant mothers to shun retrogressive believes that delivering in hospitals is not good.

Abdi said it is wrong to continue recording deaths despite the huge investment the county has made in the health sector.

He said his administration will continue employing health workers such as nurses to fast-track the operationalisation of the remaining constructed facilities.  

“My government recognizes the need for reducing the distance between health facilities if the dream of universal healthcare is to be achieved. Thus, through the Department of Health, we will continue constructing dispensaries, theatres and maternities to further reduce the distance our mothers and patients cover,” he said.

The World Health Organization recommends the distance between health facilities to be 5km, which is not the case in many parts of Northeastern

“Before devolution, the health sector in our county was a mess. Residents struggled to get proper healthcare at the local facilities as few could afford private hospitals."

"Patients would travel by road for days to access crucial medical services in Nairobi. We now have an opportunity to change that,” he said.

He added that the new dispensary and the others that are operational will help in fulfilling the universal healthcare coverage.