Safaricom Foundation’s 3-Year Maternal Health Project in Lamu Benefits Over 33,000 Women

Over 33,000 women in Lamu have benefited from maternal health interventions by Safaricom Foundation, the County Government, and PharmAccess.

The maternal, neonatal and child health program reduced the delay in access to care by linking over 11,900 women in hard-to-reach areas representing a 60 percent reduction in distances covered.

There has also been an improvement with over 2,400 successful referrals and over 12,000 skilled deliveries, reducing the risk of maternal and infant mortality.

Approximately 500 Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) were trained and equipped with smartphones to monitor households. Additionally, 161 health workers were employed to improve service delivery in the county.

The findings were revealed during a dissemination forum held by Safaricom Foundation, PharmAccess and Lamu county.

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“Here in Lamu, we have invested over KES 42 million in equipping and upgrading health facilities. We got into the programme to reduce maternal and infant mortality, provide access to maternal health, improve the state of referrals and equip community health workers with skills. Through our partners, we have managed to bridge major gaps limiting access to maternal healthcare,” said Joe Ogutu, Chairman, Safaricom Foundation.

As part of the program, over 20,000 households have been enrolled on NHIF, which has enabled them to access health services in a timely and effective fashion. In addition, there was a 4 percent increase in child immunizations reducing infant mortality.

As part of the program, Mpeketoni Sub-County Hospital, Witu Referral Hospital, King Fahad Referral Hospital, Faza Sub-County Hospital and a boat ambulance serving over 150 000 people were part of the 42 million shilling infrastructure set up to address the challenges of access to healthcare.