KISUMU, Kenya, Sep 22 — Kenya’s White Ribbon Alliance (WRA), a non-profit advocating for women and girls’ health rights, has unveiled a campaign in four counties of Kakamega, Kisumu, Vihiga and Narok on Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) to demand better healthcare to pregnant women and girls in the country.
Women and girls in the listed counties voiced their needs on what they require whenever they visit health facilities while pregnant or after giving birth.
Angel Katusia, the Alliance’s communications lead said the campaign sought to hear from women and girls on what respect means to them while accessing reproductive maternity services.
“They were very categorical that they need access to affordable services, besides being respected and listened to at the facilities,” she said.
Katusia said many young girls who reported at the facilities seeking antenatal care disliked questions surrounding their movements.
“The questions surrounding why they are out of school and why they get pregnant while still teenagers, persistent questions that puts them off,” she said.
Such questions, she said, kept many girls from attending clinics noting that the campaign is aimed at making health providers give warm reception to their clients.
“Respect means being handled by nurses who don’t judge or start asking irrelevant questions,” said a 26-year-old woman in Vihiga County.
A total of 3,212 women and girls responded to the campaign question.
The campaign report noted that respectful care for mothers and newborns is a human right and an important part of ensuring that their care is high quality and acceptable to them.
The campaign seeks to capture the real life experiences of women and girls, thereafter build a sustainable advocacy driven by the users of care to demand for respectful maternal care in all levels of care.
Respectful care
While sharing the outcome of the campaign report to the press on Friday, Katusia announced that the care campaign survey also listened to health service providers to explore their perspectives.
“They are normally the first point of contact for women and girls when they go to seek skilled services in facilities,” she said.
She noted that the voices of the caregivers were critical in unpacking what needs to be done to ensure they provide the dignified care women and girls deserve.
A total of 1,195 health service providers across the four counties responded to the campaign question.
“Their responses affirmed the need to deliver respectful maternity care to women and girls,” the report said.
In order to deliver quality care, the health providers listed the availability of adequate supplies and sufficient workforce at all times.
“Respect means taking care of women’s family planning needs, offering antenatal services through focused antenatal care which targets individual women, offering safe and clean delivery, and also taking care of both child and mother postnatal,” a 27-year-old midwife in Vihiga county said.
The report singles out respect and dignity as a key component of providing care during facility based childbirth and a critical indicator of maternal health care.
“Most women and girls who receive cold reception while going to give birth tend to shun returning for maternal care,” said Katusia.
The report points out that the voices from the campaign will guide the advocacy agendas and shape action plans tailored b the providers to advocate for improved working conditions that will enable the delivery of respectful maternity care.
