Expectant women from Homa Bay County have been advised to make frequent visits to the Hospitals in order to minimize complications during child birth.
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said this during her tour of Homa-bay county where she donated an ultrasound machine to the Homa-bay County referral Hospital.
Mrs. Kenyatta noted that majority of women from the region still prefer traditional birth attendants who may not help much during child birth.
She said that maternal and child mortalities can only be tackled at the health facilities where health experts can advise women accordingly.
Mrs. Kenyatta also encouraged women to form small groups they can educate each other on family issues.
National health statistics have placed Homa bay among the top counties with the highest maternal and child mortalities rates. The county has 250 deaths per 1000 live births.
Beyond Zero campaign
The Beyond Zero campaign is an initiative by First Lady that was initiated to aid in the health problems of mothers, neo-nates, children and adolescents from across the country.
BZ Foundation was launched in January 2014 to partner with the government in reducing maternal and child mortality.
The program is part of the initiatives outlined in the First Lady’s strategic framework towards HIV control, promotion of maternal, new born and child health in Kenya.
To-date the campaign has generated momentum towards community health actions as well as complementing county health actions to accelerate the reduction of maternal and new-born deaths.
The initiative has also distributed 47 fully-kitted mobile clinics across the country to compliment respective county efforts towards access to health services especially among marginalized and under-served populations including women, girls and children.