Kenya uses digital tools to cut maternal deaths, Otuoma tells UN meeting

From left: Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti and Trade CS Lee Kinyanjiu during a meeting at United Nations in New York.

Counties are turning to digital health partnerships to curb preventable maternal deaths, Busia Governor Paul Otuoma told a United Nations meeting in New York on Wednesday.

Otuoma, a member of the Council of Governors' health committee, explained that a partnership with UK-based health technology firm Proximie has helped counties connect patients in remote areas with specialised medical teams.

"One of our county hospitals, Kiambu Level 5, has recorded zero maternal deaths in the last seven months through integration of digital tools into maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response," noted Otuoma.

Kenya records 355 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births and 21 neonatal deaths for every 1,000 births, according to the governor.

He observed that technology can help reduce those numbers through real-time video capture, artificial intelligence analytics and virtual mentorship for health workers.

Otuoma pointed out that Kenya is regionally recognised as a leader in advancing digital health, with all public health facilities reporting through the Kenya Health Information System and more than 107,000 community health promoters connected to electronic platforms.

He recalled that Makueni County had achieved 82 per cent efficiency improvement in surgical care through digitisation, which was recognised at the recent Devolution Conference in Homa Bay.

"Our goal is to ensure no county is left behind in digital health transformation," explained Otuoma, adding that the Council of Governors is embedding digital tools into county budgets through partnerships with innovators and private foundations.

The session, held on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly, drew officials from Amazon Web Services, Bayer Foundation, Safaricom, Deloitte, and governments across Africa.