How Investment in newborn units is saving preterm babies in Siaya

For years, Siaya County recorded some of the highest rates of child mortality in the country, with an average of 63 deaths for every 1,000 live births.

A 2024 survey by Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) found that inadequate health infrastructure accounted for nearly half of preventable deaths among premature babies, robbing the county of some of its youngest lives.

But over the past three years, the establishment of newborn units at hospitals in Siaya and Bondo has begun to change that picture.

Premature babies weighing less than one kilogram at birth are now surviving and thriving against the odds.

There are now partnerships giving these newborns a fighting chance, while helping to bring down infant mortality in Siaya County.

At 8am, the cries of newborns pierce through the busy corridors of the Siaya county referral hospital. But here, those tiny cries are more than just noise, they are a sound of hope, a sign that these fragile babies are alive and fighting to survive.

Among them is 24-year-old Emily Omondi, cradling her daughter, Kayla, a tiny bundle she describes as nothing short of a miracle.

Kayla’s tight grip is a quiet show of strength — a determination to stay alive. Emily was six months pregnant when she was diagnosed with a bacterial infection.

The medication she received would later leave her hospitalized. After days of pain and uncertainty, she was rushed to Siaya county referral hospital, where doctors delivered her baby at just 27 weeks.

Kayla was born weighing a mere 900 grams.

“I thank God very much even if he was born with his weight, that is okay but he is alive,” Emily said.

Data from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey shows that approximately 134,000 babies are born prematurely every year, out of about 1.5 million live births.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines a preterm baby as one born before completing 37 weeks of pregnancy.

At that stage, vital organs, particularly the lungs, may not be fully developed, making it difficult for these tiny babies to breathe and survive without specialised care.

Sylvester Ng’anda, the nursing services manager at the facility said they have experienced a high mortality for under 5s because of prematurity and usually, mostly linked to asphyxia ­­- a condition where a child is not able to initiate respiration by themselves

Over the last three years, however, Siaya county has revamped its newborn units at Bondo and Siaya sub-county hospitals.

The addition of nine incubators, specialised training for healthcare workers and the installation of cpap machines has helped cut premature baby deaths by half.

The non-invasive device can be deployed within minutes of delivery, helping to open and inflate a newborn’s fragile lungs and support breathing until the baby is stable enough to be moved to an incubator.

“When after assessing the baby we find that the baby cannot breathe and it is not because of any other issue except maybe the lungs, that the lungs are immature, then we start on cpap immediatley and this has greatly helped us,” said Doreen Agina, a clinical officer at the new born unit department in the facility.

On his part, Siaya County Chief Officer for Health Dr. Omondi Owino said that the investment will save the mother but also make sure that the baby can survive.

Jacinta Auma also shares the joy. Her son was born weighing 900 grams is now a picture of health, slowly but steadily hitting the milestones

“Nampangia mema yeye pia vile alikawia hapa hospitali namuombea sana yeye pia kuje akuwe daktari ndio asaidie wengine aambie watu mahali yeye alitoka na mpaka mahali amefika,” Jacinta said.

This comes ahead of the World Prematurity Day set to be marked in November.

For families like Emily’s and Jacinta’s, the occasion is a reminder of what investment in healthcare can mean for babies who arrive in the world earlier than expected.

For these tiny fighters, every extra day of life is a milestone, a testament to their resilience and the care that gives them a chance to survive and thrive.