Airtel puts smile to Cheka Mtoi Aishi campaign

Most of infant deaths occur in the first week of life and according to District Health Information Software (DHIS), 20 newborns die every day in Kenya, many of them due to preventable causes.

Notable causes of infant mortality such as hypothermia, a condition characterized by dangerously low body temperature, and pneumonia are preventable and several organizations such as the Beyond Zero Campaign spearheaded by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta have come forth to champion for child health as a way of taming the menace.

Airtel is one of these organizations that have joined the campaign by providing space/ room heaters in newborn units (NBU), labour wards, maternities and delivery rooms to keep infants warm immediately after birth. The temperature in the womb is 36.6°C while room temperature even in the hottest part of Kenya is about 30°C with places like Limuru registering low temperatures as low as 12°C. This means babies lose between 6.6°C to 24.6 °C and with their bodies losing more heat than they are generating, chances of becoming hypothermic are high.

The telecommunications company donated 25 space heaters to Kiambu County hospitals with country CEO Adil El Youssefi saying this will be a ‘great contribution’ towards reduction of preventable infant mortality within the county of Kiambu. Cheka Mtoi Aishi CEO Dr David Wasambla lauded the initiative saying that it will be a major boost in the fight against preventable diseases among babies.

“Our vision is in line with both the beyond zero campaign by the First Lady and the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal 4 which seeks to reduce childhood mortality. With the central government’s initiative of free maternity services, more mothers are giving birth in hospitals and these space heaters will ensure we do not lose more newborns to hypothermia, pneumonia and other cold related causes.”

Areas like Limuru, Tigoni and Kikuyu which are the worst affected by cold weather will be given priority once the county government starts distributing the space heaters.