Paul Arithi 
From Left: Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health, Susan Nakhumicha, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa and the Chairperson Council of Governors Anne Waiguru pose for a photo during the launch of M-Mama, an emergency transport service available to women in rural areas.
The Government of Kenya, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),Vodafone Foundation, Safaricom in Kenya, and M-PESA Foundation initiated a new public-private partnership to bring m-mama to Kenya.
Accessing transport quickly in the case of emergencies can save the lives of mothers and newborns.M-mama is an emergency referral system that swiftly transports pregnant women and newborns facing complications to quality healthcare facilities.
A clinically trained dispatcher manages the referrals and confirms facility availability to ensure women/newborns in emergency situations can be promptly managed.The program also recruits and trains local car owners to provide additional emergency transport options when ambulances are unavailable, ensuring greater availability of transport for m-mama patients.
The service will be easily accessible through a free phone landline and mobile number.The m-mama referral initiative for pregnant women and newborns has been shown to contribute to a 38 percent decrease in the number of maternal deaths in pilot locations in Africa.
The Government of Kenya is pioneering the m-mama approach to enhance maternal and newborn health.
Kenya has made significant progress towards improving maternal and child health, with most pregnant women (90 percent) delivering in health facilities.
However,it’s estimated that over 6,000 women and 35,000 newborns still die annually from preventable complications.Therefore, efforts need to be accelerated to reduce the current maternal mortality rate of 355 per 100,000 live births to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The Kenyan Government is fully dedicated to achieving Sustainable Development Goal(SDGs),which targets a decrease in the maternal mortality ratio to below 70 matrernal deaths per 100,ooolive births by 2030.In addition,Kenya is committed to fulfilling the objectives set forth by the International Conference on Population & Development (ICPD25),which include eliminating preventable maternal and perinatal mortality,ensuring universal access to family planning services,and eradicating harmful cultural practices e.g female genital mutilation,tenage pregnancies/earlymarriages ,and gender-based violence.
Kenya has made remarkable advancements in enhancing the well-being of mothers and children ,with approximately 90% of pregenant women choosing to give birth in nhealthcare facilities.Most maternal and neonatal deaths are attributed to delays in accesing services while at the health facility (3rd dealy).About 6,000women and 35,000 newborns still die annually from various complications.
The Technical team from the Ministry of Health at both the national and county levels will collaborate with the partners to formulate and execute a road-map,implementation strategy ,and monitoring plan for the proposed initiative.This process will take into consideration the existing regional disparities and specific needs ,as well as the existing technological and transportation infrastructure.
The partnership and the m-mama program signify the commitment to strengthen health care system and fostering a healthier future for the people of Kenya.
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