The Council of Governors chairperson Anne Waiguru has called for more investment in maternal health as a way of alleviating poverty for sustainable socio-economic development.
Waiguru proposed the agenda during the 68th session of the Commission on Status of Women in New York.
She was joined by Governors Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), Susan Kihika (Nakuru) and Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos).
Waiguru said the connection between health, human rights, and human development is undeniable.
"Prioritising maternal health investments aligns with Kenya's commitment to enhancing its human capital since healthy mothers are more inclined to engage in the workforce, bolster economic growth, and secure better outcomes for future generations," Waiguru said.
"Kenya has made significant strides in maternal, infant, and child health in the past decade whereby, presently almost all pregnant women 98 per cent receive antenatal care from skilled providers at least once during pregnancy."
The Kirinyaga governor said all births now occur under the care of healthcare workers, compared to about 60 per cent in 2014.
She noted that limited access to affordable healthcare services due to financial constraints remains a significant challenge.
“To achieve development, investing in health and removing financial barriers to healthcare is therefore imperative," Waiguru said.
"By addressing health financing issues and optimizing investments, we can enhance access to maternal healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable populations, thereby mitigating poverty."
Additionally, 15 per cent of women and girls undergo Female Genital Mutilation which she said calls for urgent, intensified actions to confront these entrenched challenges.
The CoG chair also pointed out that in 2001, African heads of state recognized inadequate health investment as a major issue and committed to allocating 15 per cent of their annual budgets to health at the Abuja summit.
"Many countries, including Kenya, however, fall short of this target, with only about 9 per cent of the budget allocated to health while development partner funding for health is also declining, which calls for innovative measures to bridge this gap," Waiguru said.
She said that it was the responsibility of all the leaders to ensure that equitable and quality health care is accessible without leaving anyone behind.
