Kisumu County has unveiled a new maternity ward intended to improve birthing facilities for expectant women in the area.
The modern delivery room is domiciled at the Kisumu County Referral Hospital (KCRH) and boasts of spacious labour wards and a state of the art newborn unit.
While launching the auspicious project, the Chief Officer for Health and Sanitation, Dr. Gilbert Ganda said the initiative is a milestone in the maternity department that will enable expecting mothers to give birth in a better environment.
Since the onset of devolution, clients in the county hospital were forced to deliver in squeezed dilapidated buildings. Postnatal care was done in makeshift structures.
The new ward and a baby unit is adequately equipped with various modern facilities like incubators, defibrillator respirators, resuscitators and baby cots.
It has some 28 maternity beds and more than three delivery rooms that can be used simultaneously.
According to the nurse in charge, Caroline Gichana, the maternity unit will play a key role in guiding pregnant women towards the last stage of the gestation period.
“After nine long months, our new maternity unit attends to expectant mothers and guides towards the last stage of their gestation period,” she said.
She said healthcare professionals are readily available to ensure mothers and their children get nothing but the best. “We provide quality level 4 ultrasound using the latest technology for early detection of fetal anomalies,” she added.
Kenya has some of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the world. According to World Bank data, for every 100,000 live births, approximately 510 women lose their lives during pregnancy and childbirth.
Kisumu is among the counties with the highest maternal mortality rate with 495 mothers dying for every 100,000 births.
The County Government of Kisumu has been praised for its determination to bring down the maternal mortality rate, by strengthening healthcare services across its borders.
The KCRH new maternity wing has qualified doctors and nurses, who provide full maternal care and can handle premature births and birth-related complications.
“We thank the county department of health for coming up with this new spacious maternity ward. It has eased our work as we now have enough space to conduct our activities together with our patients. They also have enough walking space as the older one was small and not convenient. It was important to come up with a new maternity wing,” added Gichana.
By Robert Ojwang’
