President Uhuru renews Kenya's commitment to end maternal, child deaths

President Uhuru Kenyatta has renewed Kenya's commitment to end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents.

The President said his government will undertake all necessary action to make maternal and child deaths a thing of the past.

He was speaking when he joined other heads of state and governments and the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, to launch the Global Strategy for Women, Children and Adolescents Health.

Uhuru pledged to increase Government spending on health care services to make it accessible and more affordable.

"I pledge to take the needed sustainable actions to end all preventable deaths within a generation and ensure their well-being; and we hold ourselves accountable for our collective progress towards this goal," he said.

He said Kenya will commit herself to progressively increasing Government allocations to health with particular focus on women, children, adolescents and HIV to meet World Health Organisation global recommendations.

"The Government will also continue providing free maternal and child health care services," he added.

Additionally Kenya will implement laws, policies and strategies that support gender, equality and women's empowerment.

financial commitments

Uhuru said the Government will support and strengthen efforts to implement strategies to ensure access to sexual and reproductive health services and information to adolescents.

He called on other nations to increase their political and financial commitments to deliver on the goal to end all preventable maternal, child and adolescent deaths within a generation and ensure their well-being.

Uhuru said Kenya's experience over the last few years has shown that increased spending on women and children health can deliver concrete results.

"Momentum for progress and change for women and children has grown steadily in Kenya with improvements in skilled deliveries, and in the contraceptive prevalence, which rose from 44 per cent to 62 per cent and 46 per cent to 58 per cent respectively," said Uhuru.

Mr Ki-Moon announced $25 billion in initial commitments to end preventable deaths of women, children and adolescents by 2030. The ongoing partnerships between the Government and the private sector to improve maternal and child health were recognised at the meeting.