Nigerian businessman partners with Beyond Zero campaign

Health & Science
By Tobias Chanji | Dec 04, 2014

NAIROBI: The Dangote Foundation has announced partnership with First Lady Margaret Kenyatta's 'Beyond Zero' drive.

The announcement was made Wednesday when Mrs Kenyatta launched the first ever mobile clinic in Kwale County as part of her campaign to prevent maternal deaths in the 47 counties.

The fully-equipped mobile clinic was donated by Dangote Foundation.

Foundation founder and chairman Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian businessman, said every African has a right to quality healthcare and should not die from preventable diseases.

"It is our collective duty to leverage resources - financial, technical and in kind - to improve health infrastructure, support the training of health workers and entrench preventive health practices," he said in a statement.

After launching the clinic at Lunga Lunga town, which borders Tanzania, the First Lady handed the keys of the health facility to Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and urged all mothers to use it to reduce maternal deaths.

"Let our women use the facility so that we avoid these deaths.

"Let me also commend the County Government of Kwale for setting up a maternity wing for each dispensary, a move that ought to be emulated in the whole nation," she said.

The First Lady has now covered 16 counties while those remaining are 31.

Mvurya and Woman Representative Zainab Chidzuga termed the course as noble and one geared to the right direction.

"With this campaign, I believe the death rate of 15 women every day due to pregnancy-related complications in Kenya is going to reduce," said the county boss.

Mvurya said to improve maternal and child health in the county, his administration had embarked on procuring four ambulances and that they will buy six more to ensure efficiency in the health sector. He said Msambweni Hospital will be upgraded.

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