Safaricom and MPESA Foundations have unveiled Sh38 million investments to provide Homa Bay County hospitals with maternal health facilities.
The investment which targets over 100,000 people will ensure the safety of mothers during and after delivery as well as the well-being of their children across the county, especially in remote areas.
The boost comes at a time when the country is in the race towards ensuring that the universal health coverage plan is achieved.
“The collaboration with the County Government of Homa Bay and AMREF Health Africa will ensure we reach as many residents as possible, especially in remote areas. We are committed to improving maternal and child health in this region because we believe that no mother should lose their child or their life while delivering due to avoidable circumstances and that every baby born is a life we should fight to save,” said, Nicholas Ng’ang’a, chairperson, M-PESA Foundation.
Among its other initiatives, Safaricom Foundation has renovated a Newborn Unit costing Sh1.3 million at Homa Bay County Referral Hospital, a move that will see the number of newborns increase from 10 to 35 babies.
Under the Uzazi Salama initiative, M-PESA Foundation also aided in the construction of a new maternal, newborn, and child healthcare (MNCH) unit at Ndhiwa Sub-County Hospital which cost Sh36.9 million.
The Foundation also has a telemedicine programme dubbed Daktari Smart that provides specialist care in remote areas.
The initiative which is being implemented in partnership with AMREF Health Africa aims to strengthen the capacity of the County to provide quality and affordable reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health services and will benefit close to 90,000 women and children below the age of five years.
Based on the most current government statistics from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), Homa Bay County records 362 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births.
This is above the global target, which according to the Sustainable Development Goal (3) should be less than 70 deaths for every 100,000 live births.
Since its inception, The Safaricom Foundation, which is one of the largest corporate Foundations in Kenya has invested over Sh1.8 billion in education, health, economic empowerment, the environment, arts and culture, music, and sports.
