Image: MARTIN OMBIMA
Maternal and children's diseases will likely rise after Covid-19 as many expectant mothers shun health facilities for fear of being placed in quarantine, a hospital administrator has said.
Benta Oweje of Maseno Mission Hospital in Vihiga told the Star at the weekend that most hospitals in the county had registered a big drop in the maternal units.
"My worry is diseases that we have been struggling to prevent for all that time are likely to hit us badly because most mothers are not visiting the facilities since the stay-home order was issued," Oweje said.
She said preventible diseases and mother-to-child transmission of HIV are likely to increase.
“We are worried how home deliveries are being conducted. They will not prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission," she said.
"We have been trying our best to reach those on record in remote areas during day time to see how they are doing but with curfew in place the night cases are more challenging.”
However, Vihiga CEC for health Amos Kutwa said the Covid-19 pandemic had not stopped any medical services.
“We have rearranged our facilities across the county in a proper way to deliver to our people,” Kutwa said.
"Our clinical, maternal and other services are fully operating, so nobody should stay away for fear that they will not be attended to."
Edited by Henry Makori