First Lady inspires, gives hope to mothers and infants

Exactly 30 years since I first got inspired to save lives during childbirth following the death of a neighbour’s wife, another powerful inspiration has come on the scene: First Lady Margaret Kenyatta!

The health of mothers and children has long been acknowledged as a cornerstone of public health and attention. The unacceptably high level of maternal mortality has been a feature of global health and development discussions since the 1980s. However, although a few countries have made remarkable progress in recent years, the reality has not generally followed the rhetoric.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is this year’s UN in Kenya Person of the Year. She was awarded the prestigious award in October during United Nations Day celebrations for her efforts to improve maternal and child health in the country through her Beyond Zero campaign.

According to Ministry of Health statistics, maternal death represents about 15 per cent of all deaths of women aged between 15-49. This translates to between 6,000 and 8,000 pregnant women dying every year, or 21 maternal deaths a day.

At the onset of the Beyond Zero campaign in January, 8,000 women died every year from preventable pregnancy-related complications largely due to lack of skilled birth attendance, while 108,000 children younger than five years died every year from communicable diseases.

Since the onset of the campaign, hospital records show a significant increase in the uptake of women delivering in hospitals under skilled birth attendance (from 46 to 66 per cent).

“Ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths in our country is not a choice, it is a necessity. For too long, the prospect of childbirth in Kenya to thousands of women has been tantamount to a death sentence. This is not acceptable. It must stop,” said Mrs Kenyatta.

The First Lady not only made history as the first ever First Lady to run a marathon for a worthy cause, but also the first First Lady ever to be awarded the UN Person of the Year award.

Her clarion call continues to be, “No Woman Should Die While Giving Life”.

That is greatly inspiring!