Kenya must move faster and focus on real action on the ground if it is to reduce deaths among mothers and children, Director-General for Health Patrick Amoth has said.
Speaking in Mombasa during a paediatric conference, Dr Amoth said the country has talked enough about policies, and it is now time to put solutions into practice.
“Let us stop discussing issues and see what is really happening in our hospitals and communities,” he emphasized.
The discussion, which took place in Shanzu, gathered doctors, government officials and partners in order to assess Kenya’s progress towards achieving the global targets of 2030.
According to Dr. Amoth, there has been some progress made in the last years in the country; however, statistics are still very worrying. First of all, he emphasized that quite many infants and children die each year because of totally preventable diseases.
There is one death out of every 21 newborns within the first month of their life, while the number of deaths in 41 out of 1,000 cases occurs before the age of five years old.
He expressed his worries about such social phenomena as child stunting and teenage pregnancies.
In order to overcome the problem and reduce the negative results, the government decided to organize programs that would help decrease infant and maternal mortality rates, particularly in the hardest hit counties.
He added that Kenya has already developed numerous policies regarding healthcare and well-being of its population, yet the main problem that arises during this process is implementation.
He asked pediatricians to be proactive by contributing towards improving the level of care, mentoring other younger health practitioners, and upholding the set standards.
While at it, he encouraged the stakeholders to participate in the deliberations that were being conducted regarding the proposed changes in health regulations.
In regard to financing, he pointed out that the Social Health Authority had managed to register over 30 million Kenyans, making healthcare more accessible.
Nevertheless, he emphasized that access is not sufficient without an improvement in the quality of care delivered.
The government has been purchasing equipment for the provision of neonatal care, but according to Dr Amoth, health care providers should make proper use of this equipment.
He promised to keep working together with doctors and other stakeholders in order to enhance health care and reduce the number of maternal and child deaths.
