934 newborn deaths spark governors’ alarm over SHA crisis
An average of 85 newborn babies have been dying every single day since the beginning of the year over failure by the controversial Social Health Authority (SHA) failure to cater for delivery bills in smaller hospitals and dispensaries, which are often the first and only point of care for women in remote areas, governors have now revealed.
The county bosses warned that the Ministry of Health’s continued refusal to fund deliveries at smaller health facilities and clinics is creating a major funding gap that could undo years of progress in reducing maternal and neonatal deaths and condemn more to death.
During a gathering in Naivasha, the Council of Governors said 934 babies have been reported dead in hospitals since the start of the year.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif expressed frustration over unpaid claims, stating, “We are going to pull out of SHA if it continues with this behaviour of not reimbursing claims for level-two and even level-three hospitals. In our level-two and -three facilities, between January and July, we conducted 1,000 deliveries which went unclaimed. We want this matter addressed urgently.”
“A dispensary in Mandera, at the border with Ethiopia, is like the Aga Khan and the Nairobi Hospital of Mandera. Denying deliveries at dispensaries and health centres is retrogressive,” he said.
They also voiced concerns over unilateral decisions by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, which they say were taken without consulting county officials.
Current data indicate that Kenya recorded 21 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births last year. Governors argue that for many mothers in rural areas, dispensaries and level-two facilities remain the most accessible options for safe delivery.
They warned that halting support for these grassroots facilities could derail initiatives such as the inter-county maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response programme, which tracks and responds to maternal and newborn deaths.
The latest statistics reveal that Kenya loses about 5,680 mothers and 33,600 newborns annually, with maternal deaths averaging 355 per 100,000 live births, roughly 16 preventable deaths daily.
