Lifesaving Care for Mothers & Babies: Rural Kenya

COVID 19 ASSESSMENT/ SCREENING

As a precautionary measure, Village HopeCore initiated a triaging tent at the entry of our apartment to conduct triaging and screening to all individual who intends to access the building. A clinical officer and one field officer are charged with the responsibility of conducting COVID 19 assessment, this includes taking travel history and measuring the temperature. For the period between June, July and August, we have screened 1651 individuals. Those who presented with conditions like running nose, sore throat, chest pain or any form of cough are treated at the tent. The screening has significantly helped to keep our staff and other occupants of the apartment safe.

COMMUNITY CLINIC

HopeCore’s Community clinic was reopened in May after being closed for around one month to strategize on how best we could provide services to our clients i.e. safe and placid environment that complies with the Ministry of Heath Set regulations on COVID 19.

1)Maternal Child Health services.

HopeCore MCH services at the clinic seek to promote the welfare of both mothers and children under five years. A total of 501 children and women have accessed free health services ranging from nutritional assessment, laboratory tests, Vitamin A supplementation, deworming and treatment of common diseases.

2)Antenatal Care(ANC) services

Village HopeCore’s Community Clinic provides free antenatal services to women in Mwimbi and Muthambi Sub-counties. ANC services link expectant women with the formal health system, increase the chance of using a skilled attendant at birth and contributes to good health through the life cycle. Good care during pregnancy is important for the health of the mother and the development of the unborn baby.  Inadequate care during this time breaks a critical link in the continuum of care and affects both woman and the unborn baby. Our clinic has provided ANC services to 38 mothers.

Unlike the public hospitals that charge Ksh 1500 -2000($15-20) for ANC profiling, HopeCore provides this essential service for free to the vulnerable women in our community.

3)Reproductive Health

Just like any other health rights in Kenya, women have the right to access reproductive health services in a timely and dignified manner/environment. HopeCore’s clinic promotes reproductive health for women in Mwimbi and Muthambi by providing free and voluntary family planning information and services. Since reopening, 167 women have accessed this family planning services ranging from depo injection, combined oral contraceptives and IUD insertion and removal. Family planning is an essential service that promotes both the health of mothers and their children.

4)Weekly cervical cancer screening  

We have also embarked to our weekly cervical cancer screening at the clinic. At the clinic, we conduct a comprehensive visual inspection of the cervix with Acetic Acid (VIA) and Lugol’s Iodine (VILI). WHO recommends that women of age between21 and 29 years should undergo screening at least once in every 3 years, unfortunately, very few women seek these services due to fear and ignorance. Since reopening in May, we have done cervical cancer screening to 45 women.

HOMEBASED MCH & FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM.

The COVID 19 pandemic has led to a drastic decrease in demand for immunization services hence posing a high risk of children contracting measles and polio due to poor immunity. Village HopeCore redesigned its Maternal Child Health program to a Homebased Maternal Child Health and family planning program. In this new approach, we take MCH services to the community members at their homes rather than waiting for them to come out and seek the services from the already overstretched and equally under-resourced public health facilities.

Through the Homebased MCH & FP program, we have been able to offer free treatment of common conditions to 2471 children, 2450 children got Vitamin A supplementation and 2460 were dewormed. Our clinical team offered immunization referrals to 203 children under 5 years. During these visits, 94 expectant women were supplemented with iron/IFAS.