The County Government of Nyeri has received rare accolades from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistic (KNBS) in recognition of its exemplary performance in health service delivery.
KNBS cited the devolved unit as having excelled in a variety of health service delivery indicators.
The County’s Department of Health has been identified as among those that have been able to establish new health facilities and efficiently manage the existing ones with a total of 250 health institutions with a bed capacity of 1,222.
The health facilities are supported by a team of 1,776 well trained workers who serve a population of 773, 929 persons.
The Kenya Health Demographic survey 2019, found that women in Nyeri live longer than their counterparts in the neighbouring counties where the life expectancy was estimated to be 75.5 years, which is nine-years longer than the National life expectancy rate.
It is also noted that women in Nyeri live on average 9.4 years older than their male counterparts, whose life expectancy at birth was 66.4 years.
Maternal Child Health, another key indicator established that Nyeri County has the lowest Maternal Mortality Rate nationally, which is estimated at 67 per 100,000 live births, meaning that in every 100,000 live births, only about 67 maternal deaths are recorded.
This indicator is within the recommended Sustainable Development Goal 3 target of less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
Additionally, the infant mortality rate, is estimated at 28.3 per 1,000 live births and is among the lowest nationally.
By Kiamah Wamutitu
