Lodwar, September 19, 2025 (Public Communication and Media Relations)
The Department of Health and Sanitation, in collaboration with Amref Health Africa through the Danida Transcend Project, has formed the Turkana County Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Committee.
The inaugural meeting brought together health leaders to officially constitute the committee, disseminate and review the 2024/2025 MPDSR Report, sign off the final version, sensitise members on their roles, and plan future activities. The ultimate goal is to strengthen accountability and improve maternal and newborn health outcomes across the county.
As part of its mandate, the committee has developed the Ending Preventable Maternal Mortality and Every Newborn Action Plan, which seeks to lower current mortality rates by improving the quality of care in all health facilities.
According to the county’s facility based report (Kenya Health Information System 2024-2025), Turkana’s maternal mortality ratio stood at 73 per 100,000 live births, lower than the national figure of 94 per 100,000. Neonatal mortality was 12 per 1,000 live births, mirroring the national average.
James Lobokan, Director for Policy, Planning, Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation, said reducing maternal and perinatal deaths requires localised strategies.
“Identifying leading causes of maternal deaths in each facility and keeping updated data will help reduce these preventable deaths. We are working to reduce facility and referral distances by decentralising healthcare services and stationing ambulances at every sub-county headquarters,” he explained.
Deputy Director of Medical Services, Dr Ameyo Bonventure, emphasized the importance of sensitisation in boosting technical support.
“It equips healthcare workers to improve maternal indicators at both sub-county and county levels. Community Health Assistants should also cascade this knowledge to create awareness, which will expand advocacy and coverage of Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) services,” he noted.
County RMNCAH Coordinator, Dr Fatuma Rajab, said Turkana’s current maternal mortality ratio highlights the need for a dedicated MPDSR committee.
“With the new guidelines, healthcare workers will be able to identify causes of maternal and newborn deaths and prevent similar cases in the future,” she stated.
County Referral Emergency Coordinator Kephas Achiro underscored the role of emergency care in saving lives.
“We can reduce maternal and neonatal deaths by strengthening Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (BEmONC), Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC), and ensuring ambulance stations are designated at sub-county facilities for timely referrals,” he said.
The meeting was attended by Peter Etee (County Health Records and Information Officer), representatives from the International Rescue Committee, Kenya Medical Training Institute–Lodwar, Lodwar County Referral Hospital, Amref Health Africa, and members of the County and Sub-County Health Management Teams.
