West Pokot County has received medical equipment worth Kshs 14 million meant to support maternal health care in the grassroots.
The equipment donated by the World Bank Global Fund through the Kenya Red Cross Society will be distributed to 26 health facilities within the county.
The intervention will help reduce high maternal and infant mortality rate in the County.
Speaking during the flagging off of the equipment in Kapenguria, Kenya Red Cross Society North Rift regional Governor Dr. Mohamed Said observed that the equipment will help reduce infant mortality rate.
“The equipment will also reduce the challenges mothers experience during delivery,” he noted.
He said that West Pokot was among 35 counties which have benefited from the program.
He observed that his organization was working with other partners to compliment government’s efforts in providing better health care services to all residents.
“We are committed to ensuring that mothers especially those from most interior areas access prenatal and postnatal health care,” added the governor.
West Pokot County Acting Secretary Mr. Jackson Peng’at said the donation would support the county government’s vision on provision of effective health services in all the local public facilities.
He noted that the county government has equipped health centres in the County .
“This equipment will assist mothers to access maternal care at their nearby health centres without necessarily travelling to Kapenguria county referral hospital. We are going to identify institutions where the equipment will go,” said Peng’at.
Peng’at said the county experiences high mortality rates because expectant mothers have not been receiving skilled services but expressed hope that the situation would now change for the better.
He said the county has pumped money to maternal and child health care to ensure mothers get better services during delivery.
“Our county was marginalized for long and the equipment will help a lot in remote areas,” he said.
Peng’at said efforts have been made to ensure residents access medical care within a radius of 5 km, adding that expectant mothers are the ones mostly in need of these facilities close to them.
He noted that the county has prioritized equipping hospitals with maternity equipment and ensuring a medical officers live within the compound to attend to mothers at all time.
“We have equipped our health facilities with maternity requirements to ensure expectant mothers find services closer and freely during delivery,” said Peng’at.
West Pokot acting Health and Sanitation CEC Joel Ngolekong promised to ensure the equipment is used properly to serve all needy patients.
