Maternal and Child Health
Mothers and Babies
Centre for Health Solutions – Kenya (CHS) is an indigenous, not-forprofit organisation with in-depth understanding of the local context, utilising local expertise and strategic partnerships to ensure the implementation of evidence informed solutions and interventions to existing and emerging public health concerns. Working across Kenya, CHS is committed to improving health outcomes in line with national and international public health priorities. The Beyond Zero campaign aims to Promote Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and reduce mother to child transmission of HIV in Kenya. In line with this campaign, CHS works in 29 health facilities in Kiambu county contributing to reducing illness and death associated with pregnancy and child birth through scaling up Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) services, supporting human resources for service delivery in facilities, training health care workers, strengthening community linkages and psychosocial support aimed at eliminating mother to child transmission of HIV. This has been achieved through integration of ART services into the mother and child health clinics (MCH), employing clinical officers and nurses to support PMTCT service delivery, synchronization of HIV Exposed Infants (HEI) care with immunization, peer education and psychosocial support by mentor mothers and defaulter identification and tracking mechanisms. In the period January to September 2014 a total of 12412 women were counseled and tested for HIV, 417 were identified HIV positive, 377 HIV infected women were provided ARVS to prevent MTCT and 400 infants were provided with Nevirapine prophylaxis.
155 babies born of HIV infected mothers were discharged from PMTCT programs between January and June 2014 as HIV negative.
In line with the Kenya Mentor Mother Program (KMMP), CHS provides peer education and psychosocial support for pregnant and post-natal women diagnosed with HIV with 7 mentor mothers currently supported in high volume facilities.
Solutions for HIV exposed infants (HEI) ensure that children born to Women Living with HIV (WLHIV) receive life saving interventions and care in the first two years of life.CHS supports interventions to reduce maternal, infant and child mortality such as training health care workers in emergency obstetric, new-born and child care, equipping delivery units with resuscitation equipment, and provision of job aids.
Male Involvement
CHS is implementing a male involvement program to help men support their partners in preventing transmission to their infants and get involved in the general health and well being of their pregnant partners and children.
Reproductive Health Solutions
Family planning
CHS recognizes that reproductive health services including family planning are essential not only in helping eliminate mother to child transmission but also in enhancing the well-being of women and their families. CHS promotes the uptake of family planning among HIV infected women through integrating FP services to HIV treatment and care services with a focus on ensuring both long and short term methods are available at the comprehensive HIV care centres. CHS also builds capacity of health care workers through training and mentorship in order to increase uptake of FP among HIV infected women. 21 HCWs were trained in FP in supported facilities in the county.
Cervical Cancer
Cervical cancer is highly prevalent in Kenya and is the second most common cancer among women after breast cancer. It is more prevalent in HIV infected women thus an area of focus for CHS cancer prevention and management programs. Screening for cervical cancer has been integrated into 16 HIV treatment centres. CHS aims at curbing the number of deaths from cervical cancer through promoting early diagnosis, treatment of precancerous lesions and chemotherapy. In addition, CHS trains health workers and provides equipment and supplies for screening. In the last year women were screened for cervical cancer and 99% of those found to have precancerous lesions were treated using cryotherapy to prevent progression to cancer. In addition CHS has trained 27 HCWs to provide cervical cancer screening services to HIV infected women. CHS has also provided speculums, examination lights, and examination coaches and other screening commodities to facilities. CHS also provided a cryotherapy machine to Thika Level 5 hospital for treatment of precancerous lesions.
Equipment and Infrastructural Support
CHS has also renovated Thika level 5 and Gachika Health centre MCH department to create space for provision of adequate PMTCT services. CHS has also provided weighing scales, examination couches, BP machines, stethoscopes, delivery sets, lights, suction machines to support provision of maternal and child services.
