NAIROBI  – SOME 40 000 people in one of the world’s most challenging regions in Africa are to benefit from a community centre the health technology company, Royal Philips, has opened northeast of Kenya.The Community Life Centre (CLC) in Mandera County, a region with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, has been opened in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the local government.
Jasper Westerink, Chief Executive Officer of Philips Africa, said the concerning healthcare challenges in Mandera were a reflection of issues and realities faced by millions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Through the Philips Community Life Centre platform, we have introduced a new value delivery model. Our ambition is to introduce this model throughout Africa to drastically improve access to primary care,” said Westerink.The inauguration of the CLC in Mandera is hailed as a milestone in finding new ways for significantly advancing maternal and new-born health outcomes in the six counties in Kenya, which contribute close to 50 percent of all maternal deaths in Kenya.“We look forward to continue learning from its operations and seeing how it will contribute to improvement in the lives and well-being in the community,” said Dr Ademola Olajide, UNFPA Representative to Kenya.The newly inaugurated CLC will provide the community with modern, high quality,integrated health services for mother and child care, together with general health services and facilities for the diagnosis and treatment of communicable diseases.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, four in ten people have no access to health facilities or health personnel, and for those that do, the quality of services is often low.The need for primary healthcare in Mandera County is unparalleled; the region is hard to reach, not secure, and is a dry part of North-Eastern Kenya with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality ratios, amounting to 3 795 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births.
Ali Roba, Governor of Mandera, said the partnership with Philips and UNFPA came at a time the county had a high incidence of maternal and newborn mortality resulting from preventable causes and lack of medical facilities.
“This co-operation is reflective of the kind of partnerships we seek to participate in with the private sector and the UN that results in uplifting the lives of our communities,” Roba said.
– CAJ News