Faith Masita
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has inaugurated the National Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Steering Committee, declaring a no-nonsense approach to accountability in maternity care.
“This is about ensuring that no woman loses her life while giving birth and no newborn dies from preventable causes,” Duale said during the launch. “Every reported death must trigger action. We must move from paperwork to performance.” said Duale .
Under the renewed MPDSR framework, every maternal and perinatal death will now prompt immediate, structured reviews at facility, sub-county and county levels. The aim is simple identify what failed and fix it fast.
“We are operationalising a system where lessons learned translate into concrete reforms,” Duale emphasized. “Every loss must become a lesson that saves the next life.”
The initiative is anchored within Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage agenda and will be advanced through the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan.
Fixing the System Gaps
Findings from the reviews will directly shape national decision-making particularly in emergency obstetric care, referral systems, blood supply, essential commodities and staffing shortages.
In his statement Duale said that “We cannot continue losing mothers because an ambulance delayed, blood was unavailable, or a facility was understaffed. These are system failures and systems can be fixed.” Policy directives have been issued to the Social Health Authority and the Digital Health Agency to enable maternity reimbursement for qualifying Level 2 and Level 3 facilities, easing the financial burden on families seeking skilled delivery services.
The maternity benefits package is also under review to align fully with national maternal and newborn care guidelines, while ambulance referral networks are being strengthened to ensure timely access to lifesaving care.
Blood shortages a persistent contributor to maternal deaths are now under focused intervention through reinforced National Blood Transfusion Services.Counties have also been urged to prioritise recruitment, equitable deployment and continuous professional development of healthcare workers.
A Call to Healthcare Workers
Duale challenged frontline providers to prioritise their professionalism “I urge all healthcare professionals to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, dignity, compassion and clinical excellence,” he said. “Behind every statistic is a mother, a child, and a family whose future depends on us getting it right.”
Duale challenged frontline providers to prioritise their professionalism “I urge all healthcare professionals to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, dignity, compassion and clinical excellence,” he said. “Behind every statistic is a mother, a child, and a family whose future depends on us getting it right.”
He tasked the Steering Committee with ensuring that its recommendations result in tangible improvements in facilities, referral systems, commodity security, financing and workforce support.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Principal Secretaries Mary Muthoni and Ouma Oluga, Director General for Health Patrick Amoth, Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti, and development partners including United Nations Population Fund, United Nations Children's Fund, and the World Health Organization.
