The universal maternal health transfer is underpinned by the management information system A social protection scheme to support the health of expectant and new mothers and their babies in western Kenya is getting underway.
The County Government of Vihiga, UNICEF Kenya and Development Pathways are working to deliver a maternal health transfer, Boresha Afya Ya Mama Na Mtoto (Improve Mother and Child’s Health) to improve health outcomes.
UNICEF Kenya contracted Development Pathways to build the required management information system for the scheme to make five transfers of KES 5,000 to every expectant and new mother resident in Vihiga attending antenatal and postnatal clinics. The objective of the scheme is to improve infant and maternal mortality rates during pregnancy and child development, following an innovative pilot project in neighbouring Kakamega County.
The MIS will underpin the programme operation and support its implementation. Development Pathways has built a prototype of what the system will look like. Anthony Waliaula, MIS Specialist, is this week presenting the system to Vihiga county officials and seeking any required refinements prior to the system being deployed.
The Boresha Afya Ya Mama Na Mtoto project follows our delivery of an MIS for another maternal health transfer, the Kakamega’s Mother and Child Health Programme. This was a policy commitment of the Governor of Kakamega, Wycliffe Oparanya, with support from UNICEF Kenya and Sida.
Antoinette Muyuka, Project Manager in the County Government of Kakamega, said the new system Development Pathways developed was “more efficient” than a previous system, and had provided for challenges they faced, such as mothers not having identification. It also provided a more effective payment platform, making it “very easy for payments to be done,” she added.
Boresha Afya ya mama na mtoto project has lead to reduction in maternal and neonatal mortality in Kakamega County.
Afya Bora Innovation.