fitness news
Font size Women’s Health
Transforming Maternal Health in Western Kenya
– Reported, June 19, 2013
In 2009, when the Lwala Community Alliance made their commitment, the Lwala Community Health Center was experiencing a high demand for emergency obstetric care, despite its lack of a dedicated maternity wing. Since the facility’s opening in April of 2007, women with birthing complications had been making frequent visits to the center, which was not adequately equipped to provide safe maternity care. To develop this capacity, Lwala’s commitment involved two major elements: First, build a dedicated maternity wing capable of treating and caring for these women and second, conduct community health outreach that fosters the creation of future community leaders who are educated about safe motherhood practices.
As of today, this commitment’s dual approach of infrastructure development and robust community outreach and education has achieved remarkable results. The Lwala Community Alliance completed the construction of a new maternity wing for the Health Center in 2011, with dedicated space for labor, delivery, and postnatal care. This expansion tripled the size of the health facility and helped reclassify it as a sub-district hospital, now named the Lwala Community Hospital.
Additionally, in 2012 Lwala launched a community health effort to recruit and enroll all local pregnant women in the entire continuum of maternal, neonatal, and child health care. Using a curriculum developed by USAID that focuses on safe motherhood and water sanitation and hygiene, Lwala trained a cadre of Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Community Health Promoters (CHPs), 40 percent of whom are former traditional birth attendants. The CHWs and CHPs work together in teams to provide comprehensive care to pregnant women in 10 specific geographic precincts. The CHWs are tasked with making regular home visits to pregnant women, enrolling them in care, providing health education to the women and their families, and meeting with Lwala staff on a regular basis. The CHPs identify pregnant women and accompany them for their prenatal care, delivery, and postnatal care visits at the facility. In addition, they work to provide psychosocial support during these appointments. This community outreach has lead to an increased demand for prenatal and postnatal care, facility-based delivery, and childhood immunizations throughout the area.
Prior to the Lwala Community Alliance’s commitment efforts, only 26 percent of pregnant women in North Kamagambo were delivering with a nurse in the safety of a facility. Since the successful enactment of this work, 95 percent of pregnant women are now delivering with a nurse in a health facility and antenatal care completion rates have risen from 34 percent to above 60 percent. Furthermore, there has been a 58 percent increase in the number of well-child visits conducted and a more than 100 percent increase in the number of monthly patient visits at the Lwala Community Hospital.
Through this commitment, Lwala and its fellow CGI member partnersincluding Ronald McDonald House Charities, the Segal Family Foundation, BD, and Riders for Healthare saving the lives of both infants and mothers throughout North Kamagambo. With support, this successful model of health care and education can be taken to other areas in Kenya that face similar maternal health challenges.
CREDITS.
http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/
For more Kenya news Click Here