Rongai Sub-county Public health officer Dominic Wanjohi has intimated that many women in the rural area still deliver babies at home by consulting traditional mid-women who assist them give birth.
While addressing women during a community health sensitisation workshop at Rongai Health Centre in Rongai town on saturday, Wanjohi observed that despite of the free maternity services that were initiated by the government a year ago, many women still prefer consulting local medicine men and women who charge for the services while risking the lives of the mothers and babes.
“If you can pay two or five hundred shillings to a traditional medicine woman to assist you give birth and risk many other complications during and after birth, what will be the difference for you to spend the same amount of money on a taxi to come to hospital for free services and save your life and that of your baby,” asked Wanjohi..
He discouraged women in the area against practising traditional methods of giving birth, arguing that such methods were outdated and held many risks.
According to Wanjohi, the area has a high prevalence of traditional medicine practices, a fact that hinder women from visiting hospitals for medication and child delivery services.
He castigated that the cultural practices were not sustainable and urged local leaders to encourage members of the community to shun away from them for the sake of developments in health services.