Nakuru County has taken a significant step towards improving maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health outcomes under the project Uzazi Salama Scale-Up.
The project involves the scaling-up of medical infrastructure, enhancing health workers capacity to provide better care and services as well as by leveraging on partnerships, innovation, technology and data driven approaches that will ultimately result in reducing maternal and neo-natal deaths and improving adolescent health.
The initiative, through a partnership supported by the M-PESA Foundation and implemented by Amref Health Africa in Kenya, was officially launched during a meeting hosted by County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, Ms. Roselyn Mungai. The meeting brought together the County health leadership, technical teams and project partners.
The team also jointly identified priority areas, interventions and implementation approaches tailored specifically to Nakuru’s healthcare needs.
Uzazi Salama (Safe Motherhood) focuses on promoting safe pregnancies and deliveries for mothers and newborns. In Kenya, initiatives like the Amref Health Africa Uzazi Salama Project improve maternal and child health by equipping community health workers, upgrading hospital maternity units, and bringing care closer to communities.
The project seeks to strengthen the delivery of quality Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services through health systems strengthening, capacity building for healthcare workers, improved referral systems, enhanced coordination and data-driven planning and decision-making.
RMNCAH is a holistic public health framework used by global organizations (like the
World Health Organization) to group healthcare services, policies and funding focused on the continuum of care for women, children and adolescents from pre-pregnancy through to adulthood.
Mungai welcomed the partnership, noting that it aligns with the county’s commitment to improving healthcare service provision for mothers and children.
“This partnership presents an important opportunity to accelerate our efforts towards reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths while strengthening quality healthcare services across Nakuru County,” Mungai noted.
She further noted that the initiatives were part of a broader programme by the County government structured around key pillars of health systems strengthening, improved service delivery, better equipped human resources, adequate health products and technologies, as well as better healthcare financing, leadership and governance.
The partnership strategist from Amref Health Africa, Corazon Aquino, said that this project seeks to ensure that every mother and child receives the care they deserve through collaboration, innovation and shared accountability.
She added that the project is expected to contribute to stronger, more resilient health systems and improved health outcomes across the county and will focus on preventing deaths and promoting the health of women, babies, children and teens through targeted, high-impact interventions.
By Jane Ngugi
