This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
Published on July 16, 2020, a report by The Standard indicated that hospital deliveries in Nakuru had seen a significant increase following the reduction of curfew hours.
Initially, medical records indicated a decrease of deliveries by 25 per cent. However, since June 6, when dusk-to-dawn hours were increased from between 7pm and 5am, to 9pm and 4am, the situation has changed.
Joseph Mburu, the officer in charge of the health facility, said they were now recording 50 to 60 deliveries daily. He attributed the increase to the reduction of curfew hours, which had previously posed a major challenge to pregnant women seeking hospital deliveries.
The Margaret Kenyatta Mother Baby Wing at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital has seen a significant increase in deliveries. The facility has four modern theatres, antenatal and postnatal clinics, neonatal Intensive Care Unit, among others.
Women with reproductive challenges are also observed by obstetric specialists. Kenya is one of the 21 countries with a very high rate of maternal deaths, according to the UN reports. At least 5,000 maternal deaths were reported in 2017.
Nakuru County health data on hospital visits indicates an increase in the months of January, February, March and April, as compared to the same period in 2019. In the report titled Indicator Trends During the First Four Months of 2019 against 2020, hospital deliveries by skilled attendants have increased from 13,558, captured in 2019, to 14,077 this year.
