Lack of maternal and infant care is widespread across the country but Lamu has a set of unique challenges that sets it apart. First of all, it is an archipelago of islands and transport is therefore mostly by water vessels and this makes it quite expensive. The islands setup is such that communities on the Eastern side are more vulnerable than those in the West.
Lamu also has an insecurity problem because of Boni Forest. Donors and implementing partners have also been known to pull out of the area because of this. As such, the county has serious problems in maintaining human resources and keeping referral channels working properly.
Maintaining a thriving medical landscape is therefore quite a challenge. So much so that the referral hospital in Lamu (King Fahad) has been referring patients to Coast General Hospital all the way in Mombasa.
But now in a huge plus for maternal and infant health down at the coast, King Fahad Referral Hospital will now offer critical health services for expectant women after the Safaricom Foundation invested KES 13million in the renovation and equipping of the unit.
The hospital now has a 10-bed capacity high dependency unit equipped with oxygen piping and patient-monitoring equipment in addition to renovated floors, walls and ceilings. Additionally, the Newborn unit was also renovated and fully equipped to cater for pre-term babies and critically ill infants.
“An average of 4,000 women depend on this facility. With such a wide catchment, it is imperative that the hospital can offer quality services that meet the demands of its patients, which is why we made the investment here,”
Joseph Ogutu – Chairman, Safaricom Foundation.
Since the launch of its Maternal and Child Health Programme in Lamu county last year, Safaricom Foundation has invested KES 20.2 million towards the construction and equipping of facilities in Witu, Faza and Mpeketoni to increase access to maternal health services.
Through the programme, a maternal shelter in Witu and a newborn unit in Faza Island were constructed and equipped and are currently serving over 2,000 people, while Mpeketoni Hospital was equipped with a maternal and child health unit.