Nairobi Hospital leadership inspects one of the new labour delivery rooms during the launch in the hospital’s maternity wing.
Nairobi Hospital has launched new delivery
units designed to accommodate the entire birthing process in one place.
The new labour delivery rooms (LDR) eliminate transfers between the labour,
delivery and recovery spaces to enhance the comfort, safety and dignity of
the mothers while at the facility.
Dr Barcley Onyambu, chairperson of the hospital board, noted that the new LDR is different from what has previously
been there, where mothers were stationed in a room with several beds for labour.
He said this grossly led to the invasion of privacy. The new LDR will also eliminate
the movement of mothers from one room to the next through the different stages
of delivery. This new unit offers all the stages in one room.
Dr Agnes Gachoki, chairperson of the
Medical Advisory Committee, lauded the launch of the new suite. She said mothers would get many benefits from the facility, including subsidised costs through
the Social Health Insurance Fund. She said the labour
and delivery rooms would provide comfort to the patients as well as the staff members, the doctors and midwives.
She
said, “No mother should face financial uncertainty during childbirth. By
integrating SHA into our maternal care services, we are ensuring that even
mothers under government-sponsored UHC schemes can access world-class,
respectful care.”
Dr
Onyambu said the new LDR is part of the hospital’s strategic move towards
aligning its healthcare policy to the universal health coverage.
He
said: “This milestone is a reflection of our relentless commitment to
delivering world-class care that centres on the needs and dignity of our
patients. Childbirth is a profound moment in a family’s life, and our LDR
suites ensure that this moment happens in an environment designed for safety,
comfort and choice.”
Dr Kireki Omanwa, Kenya Obstetrical Gynaecological Society president, hailed the
milestone as a gamechanger in reducing maternal death previously witnessed due
lack of proper care during the delivery process. He said that the national maternal
death ratio is 355 out of 100,000
women who deliver, which is appalling.
“If this
can be replicated in other hospitals, private hospitals, and public hospitals, we
will be able to reduce our maternal mortality rates,” said Dr Omanwa.
Each suite is staffed by a team of obstetricians, midwives, paediatricians, and anaesthetists,
supported by digital systems that enable real-time patient monitoring and
efficient decision-making.