Prime cabinet secretary’s wife, Tessie Mudavadi, has called for the extension of maternity leave to mothers of preterm babies, adding that they suffer in the hospital for a long time, and upon being discharged, their leave has expired, thus resuming their job, having not regained the mental and physical energy needed.
Tessie spoke during the commemoration of the national World Prematurity Day at Makueni mother and child facility, where she noted that employed mothers, from teachers to other employees, suffer and should thus be considered for time off to recover.
Mudavadi is the head of Ushiriki Wema Foundation, an initiative launched two years ago to reduce newborn deaths by increasing the number of skilled health workers.
She also called upon the government to empower and build the capacity of community health promoters (CHPs), noting that, in most cases, they serve as the first responders in villages.
The foundation, which works in collaboration with the Chinese government, donated six neonatal incubators to Makueni, Machakos and Kitui counties, with each county receiving two under the Okoa Malaika programme, supporting the care of preterm infants. The programme has reached 22 counties so far, issuing over 45 incubators handled by skilled personnel to save babies.
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She noted that in Kenya, there is an estimated 13 per cent of premature births, with Tessie adding that the government is expanding the Linda Jamii health cover to curb the high number and improve access to skilled birth attendance.
Tessie was accompanied by Makueni’s first lady, Anita Mutula, who noted that the county’s mortality rate stands at 21 per 1000 live births. She noted the county recorded 1411 preemies over the past year, with 250 infants not making it within the first 28 days of their lives. She called for stronger maternal and newborn interventions. In October, the county partnered with ENI Kenya to establish the region’s first neonatal intensive care unit at Makueni Referral Hospital, in an effort to save preterm babies.
In the Kangaroo mother care programme, 512 preterm babies survived out of 515, due to training more health workers, additional spaces, and enhanced community outreach to support families through pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery.
By Lydia Ngoolo
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