Source: The Star
Health Secretary James Macharia has called on Kenyans to embrace cost effective methods to prevent infant mortality. Macharia said a safe environment for antenatal care, delivery and care of new borns is essential if the country is to achieve Millennium Development Goals four and five, which highlight the need to reduce infant and maternal mortality.
Speaking yesterday in Kibra constituency, while launching the second phase of 5 And Alive campaign, Macharia urged residents to partner with local health care givers to access services at community level.
"We need to focus more on new innovative and effective solutions such as use of mobile phones by health workers to deliver services," Macharia said. He said the measures will help improve child and maternal health.
He called on mothers to ensure they take their children for vaccinations to boost their immunity and prevent polio and tuberculosis. Statistics indicate that about 189,000 children die annually before their first birthday, while one in every 14 infants dies before attaining five years.
The 5 And Alive campaign is a nation-wide new born and child survival initiative that is aimed at creating awareness on the magnitude of child mortality caused by preventable diseases.
It seeks to raise awareness on the child mortality and the leading causes of infant deaths which include diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria and malnutrition. "I urge the public to take advantage of the free child and maternal health services offered in government health facilities," Macharia said.
The government introduced free maternity services in June this year, a move that has been hailed as a key towards lowering cases of infant mortalities.
According to Lancet findings, 31 deaths per 1,000 occur annually, with more than 50 percent of them at home. Some of the causes have been attributed to cultural reasons and lack of access to skilled birth attendance.
Present at yesterday's function included Kibra MP,Kenneth Okoth,Save the Children country director, Duncan Harvey and World Vision representative,Nick Wasunna.