Experts raise alarm over high maternal deaths in childbirth
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta and other leaders join thousands of Kenyans in the First Lady’s Half Marathon in Nairobi in March as part of a campaign to raise funds to help prevent maternal deaths. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Maternal mortality remains abnormally high at 488 deaths per 100,000 live births.
- The findings reveal that 15 out of 47 counties account for 98.7 per cent of the total maternal deaths in the country.
An estimated 6,000 pregnant women die annually in the country as a result of child birth complications, a new report has revealed.
In the past year alone, Kenya has recorded 6,632 maternal deaths with 15 counties recording abnormally high numbers.
According to the report released on Thursday by the United Nations Population Fund, maternal mortality remains abnormally high at 488 deaths per 100,000 live births.
The ratio has almost remained constant since 1990.
“In the entire country, a total of about 32,021 women of reproductive age were reported to have died out of which 6,632 died of pregnancy related causes.
“Out of the total number of women of reproductive age who had died, 21 per cent was as a result of pregnancy related causes,” says the report.
The findings reveal that 15 out of 47 counties account for 98.7 per cent of the total maternal deaths in the country.
Mandera County was ranked as the region with the highest number of maternal deaths.
Out of the 3,795 pregnant women in the region, 2,136 died as a result of birth complications.
In Turkana County, of the 1,594 pregnancies recorded, 175 died as a result of complications.
DEATHS DURING DELIVERY
Although Nairobi, Nakuru, Kakamega, Kilifi, Nandi Bungoma, and Kwale rank higher in number of deaths, they are ranked lower in terms of maternal mortality ratio.
According to the study, nearly half of the deaths (48 per cent) occur in the country during delivery.
In five counties (Lamu, Garissa, wajir, Mandera and Turkana) over half of deaths occur during delivery.
The county with highest proportion dying during pregnancy is Marsabit.
Siaya, Kisumu and Taita taveta have the highest proportion dying in the post-partum period.
The report says Kenya is among the top 10 countries with the highest number of HIV-associated maternal deaths and about 20 per cent of maternal deaths is indirectly related to HIV.
“HIV may be important in Nyanza region counties which have the highest prevalence of HIV while other factors may be important in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa with low prevalence of HIV,” the report says.
Dr Josephen Kibau-Mbae says Kenya is among the countries in the world that have an unacceptable high level of maternal deaths.
“Compared with EAC countries; Rwanda (320), Uganda (360), Eritrea (380), Kenya is not doing well. Despite the many efforts that have been made, the number of deaths for every 100,000 live births largely remained unchanged between 1988 and 2008,” Dr Kibaru said.
Senate Speaker Ekwe Ethuro asked MPs and senators to be champions in terms of resource allocation for maternal health.
“We as legislatures will be champions in ensuring that these figures come down,” he said.
