m-mama: A Lifeline for Mothers and Newborns in Kenya
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- June 22, 2023
The Government of Kenya, the US Government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Vodafone Foundation, Safaricom in Kenya, and M-PESA Foundation, initiated a new public-private partnership to bring m-mama to Kenya.
m-mama is an emergency referral system that swiftly transports pregnant women and newborns facing complications to quality healthcare facilities.
Accessing transport quickly in the case of emergencies can save the lives of mothers and newborns.
A clinically trained dispatcher manages the referrals and confirms facility availability to ensure women/newborns in emergency situations can be promptly managed.
Ministry of Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health, Susan Nakhumicha, USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa and the Chairperson Council of Governors Anne Waiguru pose for a photo during the launch of M-Mama, an emergency transport service available to women in rural areas.
The program also recruits and trains local car owners to provide additional emergency transport options when ambulances are unavailable, ensuring greater availability of transport for m-mama patients. The service will be easily accessible through a free phone landline and mobile number.
The m-mama referral initiative for pregnant women and newborns has been shown to contribute to a 38 percent decrease in the number of maternal deaths in pilot locations in Africa. The Government of Kenya is pioneering the m-mama approach to enhance maternal and newborn health.
Kenya has made significant progress towards improving maternal and child health, with most pregnant women (90 percent) delivering in health facilities. However, it’s estimated that over 6,000 women and 35,000 newborns still die annually from preventable complications.
Therefore, efforts need to be accelerated to reduce the current maternal mortality rate of 355 per 100,000 live births to reach the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
