Fresh bid to boost maternal, child care

PHOTO | FILE Matron Kezia Njau helps Ms Khadija Ali and her day-old baby at Pumwani Maternity Hospital on April 9. Health services for pregnant women and children are set to get better in Kosirai division of Nandi county.

What you need to know:

  • The software includes maps that allow the workers to look up which services are availabe at each health facility

Health services for pregnant women and children are set to get better in Kosirai division of Nandi county.

Community health workers will visit villages to collect bio data of women and babies and create a digital database that doctors and nurses will use to track clinic attendance.

“We have hired 80 community workers who will collect the information so that we can have a digital map of where the women and children are.

“This is because attendance to clinics has been poor, leading to increased deaths during pregnancy, birth and among children under five in this area,” said Dr Astrid Christoffersen-deb, who is field director at Academic Model for the Providing Access to Healthcare.

“With this information, our doctors will help reduce infant and maternal deaths by advising the women,” said Dr Christoffersen-deb.

Funding will come from the Rising Stars Programme at Grand Challenges in Canada, Saving Lives At Birth Initiative and USaid.

It comes after a similar one for diabetes and HIV/Aids by Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Indiana University School of Medicine, which has helped to monitor and treat the two conditions.

“We have equipped 80 volunteers with tools to carry out home-based assessment using Android phones,” said Dr Christoffersen-deb.

She said this had been adapted nationally and internationally using guidelines from the World Heath Organisation’s integrated management of pregnancy and childbirth that guide clinical decisions on the danger signs of pregnancy, infancy and postdelivery.

She said data from these visits would be available for viewing by health providers in government hospitals and clinics.

“All Ministry of Health community reports are electronically generated on a monthly basis,” she added. 

The software includes maps that allow volunteers to look up which services are available at each health facility, educational videos given by local medical consultants and a medical dictionary.

She said this was important in maternal and newborn care.

“We want to ensure mothers get information they need and that each child has access to essential care in the first 48 hours of birth.” Research assistant James Green said this was started in December last year and more women and children had been attended to.

“We have seen an increase in numbers although some women, though, remain sceptical,” he said.

Mr Green said between January and June, they had attended to 1,481 patients, with more than 300 expectant women.

He said this was being carried out in Chepterit, Biribiriet, Itigo, Kokwet, Lelmok,  Mosoriot, Ngelech, Mutwot and Sogot villages for those between aged 12 and 49 years.

Mr Green said that the volunteers also visit the mothers 48 hours after delivery. Deaths within the locality are also recorded.

He added that they use Google map to trace their patients and dispensaries.

“We want to reduce the inborn and maternal deaths in this region.”

The exercise has been going on for the last one and a half years. At first, they faced serious problems for there was no electricity and the phones were being stolen. All the 80 volunteers have been trained on the job.

Mr Green said their next port of call would be in Port Victoria, Busia County.