Kenya’s free maternity programme has received international recognition owing to the respectful care it has been providing to mothers.
Kenya was honoured alongside Tanzania over their respectful maternity care during the East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) health ministers meeting held in Geneva.
Director of Medical Services (DMS), Dr Jackson Kioko said nearly 20 per cent of new mothers reported being humiliated at some point during childbirth but that has since changed since the free programme was introduced.
Kioko said the Government has put in place measures to ensure respectful maternity care in addition to improving facility infrastructure and equipment, supply chain management, supervision and management of staff and resources.
He said that there has also been an increase in social support for health workers including introduction of maternity open days for the community and use of client service charter.
Kioko (pictured), who represented Health Cabinet secretary Cleopa Mailu, said the Government has strengthened community education and sensitisation on clients expectations of facility care through community health workers and groups, a situation that has seen tremendous increase in the number of women delivering in public health facilities.
This has led to reduced maternal mortality rate. “As a government, we have put in place several measures to ensure respectful maternity care.
We have invested in development and dissemination of policies that ensure respectful care principles and accountability as well as legal enforcement mechanisms and reviewed the pre- and in-service training curriculum to include values, attitude and behavior change,” said Kioko.
“With free maternity services, we have seen the number of women delivering in our facilities rise from 600,000 in 2013 to 1.2 million in 2015. The maternal mortality ratio has decreased from 488 to 362 per 100, 000. In addition, 58 percent of women have access to contraceptives,” he added.
