{"id":13332,"date":"2026-01-09T14:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T14:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/13332\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T14:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T14:01:28","slug":"new-maternal-and-child-health-complex-to-lower-mortality-rate-in-vihiga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/13332\/","title":{"rendered":"New maternal and child health complex to lower mortality rate in Vihiga"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo issues assorted new-born items to a new Mother. Looking on is Safaricom Foundation chairperson Joseph Ogutu during the opening of Mother and Child Health Integrated Unit at Vihiga County Referral Hospital\/HILTON OTENYO<\/p>\n

Women in Vihiga have a reason to breathe a little easier after the county government in partnership
\nwith Safaricom\u2019s M-Pesa Foundation commissioned a new maternal and
\nchild health complex at the referral hospital in Mbale.<\/p>\n

The Sh60 million 40-bed facility is
\nmore than just a building\u2014it represents hope, safety and lifesaving care for
\nmothers and newborns. <\/p>\n

Equipped with prenatal and postnatal
\nservices, a neonatal intensive care unit, emergency obstetric care and a fully
\nequipped caesarean section theatre, the complex aims to tackle the persistent
\nchallenge of maternal and infant mortality.<\/p>\n

Currently, Vihiga records 75
\nmaternal deaths for every 100,000 live births, a statistic Governor Wilber Ottichilo is determined to reduce. <\/p>\n

\u201cNo mother deserves to die while
\nbringing forth life. This complex is a major milestone in our commitment to
\nproviding quality healthcare for mothers and newborns,\u201d he said during the
\nlaunch, noting that previously, delayed deliveries were common due to congested
\nfacilities and long distances to clinics.<\/p>\n

The complex includes a three-bed
\ndelivery room, a 12-bed antenatal ward, a 20-bed postnatal ward, an eight-bed
\nnewborn unit, pharmacy, reception area, nursing stations and a modern medical
\ngas supply system. <\/p>\n

These additions aim to ensure
\nmothers receive timely, specialised care, particularly in complicated cases
\nthat can now be referred from smaller health facilities.<\/p>\n

M-Pesa Foundation chairman Joseph
\nOgutu hailed the partnership as a model of how public and private collaboration
\ncan transform healthcare. <\/p>\n

\u201cEvery woman giving birth deserves a
\nsafe environment. Maternal health is critical to improving access to quality
\nhealthcare across the country,\u201d he said, adding that telemedicine services will
\nsoon extend specialised care to mothers in remote areas.<\/p>\n

Community health promoters also play a vital role in the initiative. <\/p>\n

They are the first line of defence,
\nlinking mothers to healthcare services and ensuring early intervention during
\npregnancy. <\/p>\n

Vihiga health executive
\nNicholas Kitungulu urged CHPs to continue encouraging expectant mothers to seek
\nhospital-based care, emphasising that early monitoring can prevent
\ncomplications during childbirth.<\/p>\n

For expectant mothers like Jane
\nKavayi, six months pregnant, the facility offers reassurance and peace of mind. \n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is reassuring to know that there
\nis a facility nearby where I can safely deliver my baby. I used to worry about
\nthe long distances,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Vihiga maternal and child health
\ncomplex is not just infrastructure\u2014it is a lifeline. <\/p>\n

By bridging critical gaps in care,
\nreducing maternal and infant risks and bringing services closer to
\ncommunities, it embodies a promise that mothers and newborns can now look
\nforward to safer, healthier beginnings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo issues assorted new-born items to a new Mother. Looking on is Safaricom Foundation chairperson…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13333,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[7271,3144,9116,9114,9115,100,152,101,99,7996],"class_list":{"0":"post-13332","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tanzania","8":"tag-child-health","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-m-pesa","11":"tag-maternal","12":"tag-safaricom","13":"tag-star-news-kenya","14":"tag-tanzania","15":"tag-the-star","16":"tag-the-star-newspaper","17":"tag-vihiga"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}