Makueni records zero postpartum hemorrhage deaths for two years

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr underscored his commitment to ensuring that women in Makueni deliver safely and return home with healthy babies. [File, Standard]

Makueni, once among counties with the highest maternal death rates, has made strides in maternal healthcare having recorded no maternal deaths caused by postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) since 2022.

This achievement is attributed to innovative healthcare practices and the adoption of Heat-Stable Carbetocin, a World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended drug proven to prevent excessive bleeding after childbirth.

The county has also embraced calibrated drapes, a specialized tool that helps measure blood loss during childbirth and hence timely intervention.

The drapes enable accurate monitoring, allowing medical personnel to respond swiftly to abnormal bleeding, explained Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.

The governor spoke on Tuesday, when he flagged off 11,000 calibrated drapes for distribution to health facilities across the county to bolster the initiative.

He underscored his commitment to ensuring that women in Makueni deliver safely and return home with healthy babies.

He spoke while hosting members of the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health, who toured the county to learn from its best practices in managing PPH. The delegation, mainly from Norway and Italy, is dedicated to mobilizing donor governments and strengthening collaborations to improve access to quality healthcare globally.

Makueni is among the first counties in Kenya to adopt a comprehensive approach to combating PPH, combining the use of Heat-Stable Carbetocin with calibrated drapes.

These efforts are part of the "Accelerating Measurable Progress and Leveraging Investments for Postpartum Hemorrhage Impact (AMPLI-PHHI)" program, explained the governor. He explained that the partnership between the county and health NGO, Jhpiego seeks to drastically reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates associated with PPH.