Saving lives, one birth at a time: The impact of quality maternal healthcare

Globally, millions of people's right to health is still under threat.

Conflicts, disasters, and diseases devastate lives, causing pain, distress, and sometimes death. However, all is not lost; hope lingers.

As her newborn baby boy smiles in his sleep beside her, Mary Wanjiru, a 25-year-old mother of two, broadly smiles, and a feeling of joy fills her heart. She is happy and thankful that skilled maternal and newborn healthcare professionals at Pumwani Maternity and Referral Hospital successfully managed her high-risk pregnancy.

In early March, Mary went into premature labor in her seventh month of pregnancy, six weeks before her expected delivery date. Confused and panicked, she immediately went to the health clinic near her home in Dandora Phase One. However, the health team at the clinic could not handle her case, so they immediately advised Mary to go to Pumwani Maternity and Referral  Hospital.

With a looming doctor's strike and no savings at hand to pay for the emergency maternal care she needed, Wanjiru reluctantly headed to the referral hospital, hoping that she would get the necessary medical care and attention.

“With my second pregnancy,  the labour pains started earlier than normal, and I  panicked. At Pumwani Maternity Hospital, the doctors and nurses received me warmly. I was already in early labor, and the health team assured me I was in the right place at the right time,” Mary recounts. “As my pregnancy was not yet at term, I was given medicines to mature my baby's lungs since the baby would be born too soon.”

Mary gave birth to her second child full-term at nine months, thanks to the timely and quality healthcare received from Pumwani Maternity Hospital.

Mary is grateful to the team of nurses and doctors for saving her and her baby’s lives. Her husband, Sparjion Kamanja, was initially worried about the welfare of both mother and baby but appreciated the level of care and support at Pumwani Maternity Hospital.

"When I received the first call about the emergency, I worried she would not be admitted promptly,” he said.

Today, about a month after her second baby's birth, Mary is grateful that the pre-delivery and delivery care and postnatal care she received at Pumwani Maternity Referral Hospital have significantly contributed to her well-being and the general health of her baby.

As Kenya joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Health Day on 7th April, Mary appreciates the prompt referral to Pumwani Maternity Referral Hospital during her premature labour, and the quality of care she received saved both her newborn’s life and her own.

This year's theme My health, my right, champions the right of everyone everywhere to have access to quality health services, education, and information, as well as safe drinking water, clean air, good nutrition, quality housing, decent working and environmental conditions, and freedom from discrimination to enjoy their rights to good health.

In Kenya, lack of access to quality healthcare is one of the leading causes of maternal deaths, according to a 2016 Ministry of Health report, The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Death(CEMD).

According to the report, the most common causes of maternal death were obstetric bleeding (39.7 per cent), non-obstetric complications, indirect maternal deaths (19.8 per cent), and high blood pressure complications associated with pregnancy (15.3 Per cent). However, the report states that the overarching cause of maternal deaths in Kenya is poor quality of care.

The CEMD report recommends expanding community-level health services, capacity building, mentorship of healthcare workers at all levels of care, and retention within the appropriate department for at least two years.

Pumwani Maternity and Referral Hospital chief executive Kiteshuo Christine notes that the 97-year-old health facility has come a long way and now serves as the premiere health facility offering affordable and comprehensive maternal and newborn health care not only to Nairobi residents but also to residents of other counties in Kenya.

"Close monitoring of mothers right from the antenatal clinics until delivery means that the health of both baby and mother is prioritized and the highest possible quality patient care is provided," said Kiteshuo, adding that any emergency walk-in client is managed promptly.

Kiteshuo acknowledges the technical support provided by UNICEF Kenya and its partners to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care in the hospital. This support enabled health workers to gain additional technical knowledge, skills, and expertise and ensure they can provide quality maternal and newborn care to patients.

Unicef Kenya’s health specialist, Dr. Laura Oyiengo, notes that quality health care begins with the mother and baby receiving the highest level of care at the health facility from skilled and competent staff - during pregnancy, delivery, and in the postnatal period - for the best possible outcome.  

“The health facility needs to be well-equipped with essential maternal and newborn health supplies, medicines, and equipment to manage a normal pregnancy and delivery, as well as a high-risk or complicated one,” said Dr Laura.

According to Dr. Laura, mothers should receive health education and information on how to care for themselves and their newborns during their prenatal and postnatal periods. Most importantly, mothers need to recognise danger signs during pregnancy and after delivery and know when to seek help at a health facility.

Through various health programmes, UNICEF Kenya supports the Ministry of Health (MOH) in improving the quality of maternal and newborn healthcare at the national and county levels.

“UNICEF Kenya, together with other partners and stakeholders, supports the MOH in developing policies, guidelines, and standards for maternal and newborn health in the country. These policies and guidelines are drawn from global normative standards and ensure that the country has an enabling environment for optimal maternal and neonatal health programming,” said Dr Laura.

Additionally, UNICEF collaborates with county governments to implement high-impact, evidence-based interventions for maternal and newborn health through capacity building and mentorship of health staff in both primary-level and tertiary-level facilities, strengthening the supply chain for essential medicines, commodities, and equipment for maternal and newborn health service delivery, and scaling up evidence-based interventions for maternal and newborn health services.

“At the county level, we work with the county health team to strengthen the maternal and newborn Health Management Information System and support the use of data at the facility level. This is important to understand the gaps in service quality and allow us to prioritize interventions,” said Dr. Laura.

A month after the birth of her second child, Mary acknowledges that her access to timely, affordable, and quality healthcare for herself and her baby was the most significant event in her life this year. Mary and her husband remain grateful to the staff at Pumwani Maternity Hospital for their professionalism and competency, which resulted in a successful and safe childbirth.