First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has praised residents of Tana River for maintaining one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in the country.
She described the county’s 1-2 per cent HIV prevalence rate as a fantastic job which needs recognition.
“This county has done a fantastic job of keeping the HIV virus at bay. The 1-2 per cent HIV prevalence rate is among the lowest in the Kenya and this deserves our recognition for setting that standard,” said the First Lady.
She spoke Thursday at Hola stadium where she handed over the 44th fully kitted Beyond Zero Mobile Clinic to Tana River People.
The facility, sponsored by the KCB, was received by Governor Hussein Dado.
Tana River is ranked at number three amongst the Counties with the lowest HIV prevalence rates . Wajir has the lowest HIV prevalence rate standing at 0.2 % followed by Marsabit at 1.2%. The national average HIV prevalence rate is 6%.
Despite the milestones achieved in keeping the HIV infection rates at bay in the county, the First Lady expressed concerns over the high numbers of mothers and children dying during the birth process.
“Sadly, the numbers of mother dying while giving birth in this county are extremely high. This is also true for children who die at birth, or do not get beyond the age of five,” said the First Lady.
She said it takes dedication of the mothers involved and collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders to bring down the unnecessary deaths in the county- and indeed the country.
The First Lady was also concerned that many pregnant women in the county do not take advantage of the free maternity services offered by the Government , neither do they attend the recommended four ante-natal visits.
She said the county has the capacity to innovatively provide health services to cater for the unique needs of the nomadic communities in the expansive ASAL region whose population stands at slightly over 300,000 people.
The First Lady said the County has what it takes to revamp the existing health facilities, train and deploy more health professionals to man them.
She called on Tana River people to keep all children in school including the girls by shunning retrogressive cultural practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) which are both against the law and which have a devastating impact on the health of children and the community.
Mrs Kenyatta said she was extremely encouraged by the work and dedication of county First Ladies towards making a difference to the lives of children, women and men through their respective initiatives in their regions.
“For me, it has been a privilege of a lifetime to dedicate time, resources and energy towards saving lives of mothers and children,” said the First Lady.
At the Hola Level Four Referral Hospital, the First Lady visited the paediatric, maternity and radiology sections before laying a foundation stone for the new maternal and child health wing.
The hospital which is currently undergoing renovation is one of the key health facilities in the expansive region where the other nearest referral hospitals are in Malindi and Garissa.
Others who addressed the function included the governor and his wife Mrs Asha Dado, County Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru, Galole MP Hassan Dukicha and National Aids Control Council director Ms Nduku Kilonzo who represented Health CS Cleopah Mailu.