The Ministry of Health has lauded the role of the First Lady Margaret Kenyatta in improving the lives of Kenyans, especially in the promotion of maternal and child health.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health Sicily Kariuki credited the First Lady for initiating the Free Maternity Services Programme dubbed Linda Mama and the Beyond Zero initiative.
“Through these strategic investments, we now have increased access to health services within the community through the mobile clinics in all the 47 counties and double skilled deliveries of 1.2 million per year, resulting in a decline in maternal mortality from 488 to 362 per 100,000 live births, which translates to 2,000 maternal deaths being averted annually,” said the CS.
She made the remarks in a speech read by the Head of Preventive and Promotive Health, Dr. Peter Cherutich during a joint consultative meeting for the First Lady’s New Strategic Framework 2018-2022 on Wednesday.
The CS disclosed that 1 million out of the 1.5 million People Living with HIV are currently on anti retroviral therapy, cumulatively saving 400,000 lives.
"The number of HIV Exposed Infants has also reduced from 8% in 2013 to 3.7% in 2017, translating to 4,000 new HIV infections averted among infants born to HIV positive mothers,” she added.