Expectant mothers from Matungulu in Machakos County have been advised to deliver in credible health facilities in a bid of preventing unnecessary complications and related fatalities.
Speaking at a baraza in Ngomeni on Wednesday, Matungulu public health officer Charles Muthama said expectant mothers should desist from falling prey to unskilled village midwives.
Muthama said some of the women from Matungulu still preferred midwives despite the government's efforts to provide free maternity services in all public hospitals across the country.
"some residents still call midwives in the hour of labor pains. We have free maternity services but there are people who still visit midwives to deliver their kids", Muthama said.
He noted that the village midwives were untrained and use traditional methods which are no longer applicable in the society today.
Muthama said involvement of village midwives in deliveries had led to increased mortality rates among expectant women in the sub county.
He said most of the mothers, newborns or both die during birth as they get handled by unqualified traditional midwives.
"Village midwives cannot know when there are emergencies, how can they therefore handle breech presentation,umblical cord compression preclampsia and many more other birth related complications that need urgent medical attention?" Muthama said.
He said some of the midwives keep expectant mothers pending knowing that the case is beyond their knowledge only to release them when things have fallen apart.
Muthama said the women use unsterilized equipment that may transmit diseases to both the mother and child.
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