Child mortality falls by 20 per cent, gov’t

The government has announced a reduction in child mortality rate since the inception of free maternal healthcare.

Addressing the media in Nairobi on Sunday, government spokesperson Manoah Esipisu said that six in ten expectant mothers receive skilled care at childbirth and over half receive skilled postnatal care.

“One of the government’s signature policies is free maternal healthcare. This policy continued a long heritage of very substantial government investment and improvement in maternal and child care.”

“Indeed, child mortality has fallen over twenty per cent since 2008, and we’re on course to meet a number of other important millennium development goals related to child and healthcare,” read the statement in part.

Esipisu said that a new fund, aimed at supporting health programs for women and children have come into fruition as the Global Financing Facility for Every Women and Every Child.

He said the fund committee will meet on Monday in Addis Ababa for further consultations and channelling ways to support its mandate.

“As one of the forerunners of this vital global initiative, Kenya will be represented by His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, who will travel to Ethiopia tomorrow (Monday).”

One of the campaign promises that Jubilee government gave was free maternity care, which came into effect a year after taking power.

The program allows women to access free primary maternal health services in all public hospitals.