West Pokot Trains Healthcare Workers to Boost Maternal and Newborn Care
Under the partnership, a total of 102 Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garments have been supplied to 47 health facilities within the County, offering invaluable first aid assistance to moms suffering from heavy bleeding.
The Director of Health in the County, Dr. Solomon Kokwo, praised the collaboration and called the EmONC training a vital part of building the health system in the County and ensuring access to quality maternal and newborn health services. Photo/Courtesy.
By Ruth Sang
West Pokot County – The County Government of West Pokot has in partnership with the Division of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) and the Lwala Community Alliance rolled out a training program that will last for five days in order to boost Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care. The effort is meant to enhance the management of complications of mother and child mortality.
The workshop is comprised of a pool of 65 frontline health care providers in all six sub-counties of West Pokot, trained to serve as facility-based EmONC mentors. These will, in turn, train other providers to ensure a larger outreach of lifesaving skills.
Dr. Samuel Ooga, a national trainer for EmONC at the MoH in the country and guest speaker during the workshop, reiterated the dedication of the Ugandan state to prevention of/maternal and neonatal deaths by virtue of ongoing capacity building. In this respect, he described the adoption of affordable and lifesaving innovations NASG, uterine balloon tamponade, V-drapes, and heat-stable carbetocin to mention but a few, which save many lives during childbirth processes.
Dr. Ooga described national priorities, which included the avoidance of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths, the cessation of harmful practices like teenagers giving birth, early marriages, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and Gender-Based Violence (GBV), and access to family planning. Dr. Ouga stated that approximately 80% of maternal deaths happen in health facilities due to lack of skills, delayed access to antenatal care, lack of human resource capacity, lack of health facilities, and lack of necessary health facilities.
The West Pokot Reproductive Health Coordinator, Consolata Siree, stated that the County has already trained 65 healthcare workers in the prevention and management of Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) and is also training another 65 healthcare workers in EmONC as an initiative of Lwala Community Alliance. She emphasized that bleeding in pregnancy and childbirth continues to contribute to most Maternal deaths in the County and will now equip healthcare workers to handle pregnancy and childbirth complications.
Under the partnership, a total of 102 Non-pneumatic Anti-Shock Garments have been supplied to 47 health facilities within the County, offering invaluable first aid assistance to moms suffering from heavy bleeding.
Healthcare professionals have shown confidence in their skills. Serewo Health Centre nurse Elvis Wekesa assured the local communities that they now have all the necessary tools for quality maternity services at West Pokot. Tamugh Health Centre nurse Agneta Cheyech asked expectant women to seek medical assistance while giving birth to avoid home delivery dangers. The Director of Health in the County, Dr. Solomon Kokwo, praised the collaboration and called the EmONC training a vital part of building the health system in the County and ensuring access to quality maternal and newborn health services.
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