The First Lady of Kenya, Margaret Kenyatta launched the “Beyond Zero” campaign to combat high levels of maternal and child morbidity and mortality throughout the country.
This program aims to increase access to medical care in order to reduce rates of maternal, newborn and child illnesses and death. To achieve this, Kenya will focus upon health prevention and maintenance, along with HIV management.
Margaret Kenyatta expressed her concern with maternal and child mortality rates in Kenya, saying, “we have all heard the figures. These are not just statistics. These are our fellow Kenyan sisters and children who die largely as a result of pregnancy and HIV related complications which are preventable.”
According to recent statistics, fifteen Kenyan women die daily due to complications related to pregnancy. This translates to a maternal mortality rate of 360 women for every 100,000 childbirths. Twenty percent of all maternal deaths are related to HIV and AIDS.
For every 1000 births, there are 22 stillbirths, 27 neonatal fatalities and 48 infant deaths. Additionally, 107,000 children under the age of five die each year in Kenya, often from preventable diseases. HIV and AIDS contribute to these statistics, with 15% of these deaths being due to complications of this infection and another 13,000 children being newly diagnosed each year. Outcomes of infection are affected by the fact that nearly 62% of all HIV-positive children live without access to antiretroviral drugs that would significantly prolong their lives and improve their health.
“I am deeply saddened by the fact that women and children in our country die from causes that can be avoided. It doesn’t have to be this way. This is why I am launching the ‘Beyond Zero Campaign’ which will bring prenatal and postnatal medical treatment to women and children in our country,” said Margaret Kenyatta.
This campaign will raise health awareness, prevention and access to medical services. To achieve this, Kenya will purchase mobile health clinics to improve health outreach to women and children throughout the country. The program also aims to ensure health facilities have the supplies they need and a sufficient number of qualified healthcare providers. The Equity Bank of Kenya has pledged $580,000 to complement the $400 million the Ministry of Health will spend on these initiatives.
On World AIDS Day 2013, Kenya released a plan entitled “Strategic Framework for the Engagement of the First Lady in HIV Control and Promotion of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Kenya.” It focused upon implementing policies and programs to reduce new HIV infections in women and children and to quickly reducing maternal and newborn deaths. To achieve this, the framework suggests investments in high impact interventions, active involvement of leadership and communities, and the mobilization of men to facilitate change. The “Beyond Zero” campaign falls under this framework.
In response to the campaign’s announcement, 21 year-old HIV-positive law student Dorcas Kawira, stated “I wished that my mother had better access to maternal health care services that would have protected her from contracting HIV,” explained Dorcas Kawira, a 21 year old HIV positive law student
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Written by Amanda Lubit