County records highest maternal deaths: Report

More than 70 maternal deaths have occurred in Coast region in the first year of devolution, a health official has said.

Mombasa executive for health, Binti Omar, said in an interview with Nation.co.ke. that the number could be higher this grim statistic belonged to the Coast general hospital alone.

The health facility is the largest referral hospital in the region that serves residents of Mombasa, Taita-Taveta, Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi and Kwale counties.

 “In the first year of devolution, Coast General Hospital was the facility that recorded the worst data in regards to maternal deaths in the whole country. It had 73 deaths!” Ms Omar said at her office in Mwembe Tayari office.

“Because Coast general hospital does not serve Mombasa alone most of these deaths are maternal referrals from neighbouring counties,” Ms Omar said in her Mwembe Tayari office.

According to Data for Health Information Systems (DHIS) the hospital is ranked the worst for having the most maternal deaths in the country.  

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Ms Omar noted that most times, the expectant mothers with birth complications, arrive at the hospital too late or die on their way to the facility.

She added that lack of referral facilities in neighbouring counties and poor road infrastructure make it difficult to transport patients to the facility in good time for urgent treatment.

“There are some maternal complications that are so complex and cannot be handled at the district hospitals but the poor road infrastructure is a big let-down to their urgent treatment,” the health executive said.

Other than that, she added that the free maternity health program has been experiencing a myriad of challenges with delays in reimbursement of money for purchasing maternity supplies and supporting maternity programs.

“The free maternity reimbursement money which the government is supposed to provide after maternity services has not been given to level four and level five facilities for some time.

Coast General, Likoni, Tudor and Port Reiz hospitals have not received these funds since May 2014,” she noted.

The high number of maternal deaths reported at the facility is hardly surprising as the region was the first recipient of a mobile clinic presented by First Lady, Margaret Kenyatta’s, Beyond Zero campaign.

The clinic was given to Taita-Taveta County which was named alongside 14 other counties with equally alarming statistics. Lamu, Mandera, Turkana, Wajir, Migori, Nakuru, Siaya, Kisumu, Nairobi, Homa Bay, Kakamega, Garissa, Marsabit and Isiolo also reported high numbers of maternal deaths.