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12 | NEWSFOCUS October 23, 2018 www.mygov.go.ke County gets medical supplies worth Sh40m Machakos is gearing up for the provision of health care to all through the Universal Health Care (UHC) programme BY SAMUEL MAINA AND RACHAEL KILONZO KNA- MACHAKOS M achakos County government has received drugs worth Sh40 million from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority KEMSA) to help boost health care in the county. The supplies which included pharmaceuticals, non-pharmaceuticals, laboratories and dental commodities will be disbursed to all 166 health facilities across the 40 wards in the county. Machakos Deputy Governor Mr. Francis Maliti said the government will ensure the drugs reach the respective health facilities and are utilised well. He said the consignment had come at the ideal time when the county is gearing towards providing of health care to all through the Universal Health Care (UHC) programme expected to be rolled out later next month. “This medical consignment comes at a time when the county is inching closer towards rolling out the Universal Health Care. Consequently, we expect hospital management to exercise a high level of accountability when dispensing these drugs and products to ensure they benefit the public,” he said. He said the County Government has so far employed over 700 health workers and is in process of hiring over 70 nurses to boost service delivMedical camp targets 1,000 households in 2 Rift Valley counties The initiative targets vulnerable families in informal settlements BY ANNE MWALE KNA-NAKURU M ore than 1,000 needy households in Nakuru and Narok counties are set to benefit from a twoweek free medical camp courtesy of Canadian and North American missionary doctors. The initiative will complement the government’s bid to achieve and sustain universal health coverage in the country will provide free child and maternal medical checkup and cancer screening for both men and women. The initiative targets vulnerable families in informal settlements in Nakuru, Gilgil and Naivasha towns in Nakuru County as well as Suswa in the neighbouring Narok County. The lead doctor Dr. Christina Stewart said the initiative, driven by 28 doctors and nurses with various specialisations, was engaging a team of local doctors to map out communities most at risk. Speaking to the press during the clinic at Metro Church in Nakuru, Dr. Stewart said the focus of the initiative was on prenatal and postnatal healthcare which she said was vital in the achievement of the global average survival rate of unborn and new born babies and their mothers. She said specialists were recording high upper respiratory tract infections, skin, ear and eye problems among patients seen. Stewart commended local medics and the community for containing malaria and other water borne diseases which she said threatened lives of children under five years. The doctor said the clinic would move to 15 other nations in sub-Sahara Africa to promote healthcare for women and children. She explained that the team was also working with women to equip them with water purification skills as a sanitation component of the programme being a way of averting water borne diseases at the house hold level. The initiative will complement the government’s bid to achieve and sustain universal health coverage in the country Machakos Deputy governor Mr. Francis Maliti (centre) while overseeing the start of distribution of drugs worth Sh40 million to 166 health facilities across the county. ery. The announcement comes barely two days after Governor Dr. Alfred Mutua was given a two-week ultimatum by members of the Machakos county assembly to release millions of shillings allegedly held by the executive and meant for development activities or face unspecified action. Addressing the press on Monday after handing their petition to the governor’s office, the MCAs also called Dr. Mutua to de-gazette six members of his cabinet whose names had been rejected by the County Assembly Committee on Appointments. Through the Deputy Speaker Paul Museki who read the joint statement, the members are accusing Dr. Mutua of failing to account for Sh2.7 billion which was meant for the construction of health facilities, drilling of hundreds of boreholes and improvement of surface roads in the 40 subcounties. Maternal deaths drop significantly Mortality had declined from 488 deaths per 100,000 live births to 362 currently BY ANNE MWALE KNA-NAKURU M ore than 62 percent of expectant mothers in the country receive skilled medical care, Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has said. Ms. Kariuki further observed that the government’s Linda Mama initiative aimed at providing affordable and quality health care had realised significant gains as maternal mortality had declined from 488 deaths per 100,000 live births to 362 currently. Speaking during the launch of an ultra-modern maternal care facility presided over by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital last week, the Cabinet Secretary noted that over 50 percent of mothers in the country received postnatal care. “We have completely eliminated maternal tetanus through sustained immunisation programmes. We have also made commendable progress in our quest to eradicate polio and other communicable diseases affecting women and children,” she said. Ms. Kariuki noted that major strides in maternal childcare had been realised 362 Infant deaths that occur per 100,000 live births. The Linda Mama initiative has realised significant gains as maternal mortality has declined from 488 deaths per 100,000 through First Lady’s Beyond Zero initiative and Linda Mama programme spearheaded by her ministry. Towards reducing infant and maternal mortality rates, the Cabinet Secretary said her ministry in collaboration with donor agencies and other stakeholders had scaled up the fight against malaria, HIV/ AIDS and other preventable diseases. “A lot more needs to be done. Mothers and adolescents continue to die of preventable conditions. We are committed to improving accessibility to quality healthcare for all Kenyans. We are targeting that all deliveries in the country be handled by skilled health workers,” she stated. Towards achieving maternal healthcare, Ms. Kariuki said the ministry had adopted a multi-sectoral approach by improving access to education, water, proper sanitation and infrastructure as well as alleviating poverty. “Socio-cultural beliefs and practices can negatively affect maternal and child healthcare outcomes. We need to scale up investment in this critical sector by adopting a multi sectoral approach,” she added. She announced that Nakuru Level Five Hospital had received equipment and drugs worth Sh10.3 million from the Kenya Medical Supplies Agency.

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