Nyanza steps up fight against newborn deaths as preterm babies face care gaps

Tessie Musalia Mudavadi, spouse to Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi with Migori County First Lady Agnes Ayacko and Kisumu County First Lady Dorothy Nyong’o during the handover of 11 neonatal incubators under the Okoa Malaika programme at Lumumba Sub-County Hospital in Kisumu.[ Rodgers Otiso ]

For mothers whose babies arrive too soon, the joy of childbirth can quickly turn into days of fear as they watch their tiny newborns fight for survival. At Lumumba Sub-County Hospital in Kisumu mothers of preterm babies joined health workers and county officials as neonatal incubators were handed over to six counties, highlighting the need to close equipment gaps in the care of vulnerable newborns.

The handover came as health officials raised concern over the slow progress in reducing deaths during the first 28 days of life, with premature babies facing some of the greatest risks.