MATERNAL AND NEWBORN CHILD HEALTH COMPLEX NEARS COMPLETION

Do you remember the first breath you took when you were born? While that single moment defined the rest of our lives, not every mother and child is fortunate enough to experience it. Maternal and infant mortality remain major global health concerns, demanding continued intervention to save lives.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) factsheet on maternal mortality, a maternal death occurred almost every two minutes in 2023. In the same year, over 700 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. This underscores the key role of skilled health professionals before, during and after childbirth to save the lives of women and newborns.

Vihiga County was ranked third among Kenya’s forty-seven counties with the lowest risk of maternal mortality within healthcare facilities between January and June 2025. To further strengthen maternal and child health services, the Maternal and Newborn Child Health Complex is nearing completion at the Vihiga Teaching and Referral Hospital (VTRH). The facility aims to enhance both access to and the quality of healthcare through improved infrastructure and service delivery.

The complex includes a caesarean section theatre, a three-bed delivery room, a 12-bed antenatal ward, a 20-bed postnatal ward, an eight-bed newborn unit, a reception area, a nursing station, a pharmacy, and equipment for medical gas supply. The complex financed by the M-PESA Foundation contributes directly to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.2 on newborn and child mortality which seeks to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age, with all countries aiming to reduce neonatal and under-five mortality rates by 2030.