KENYA— The Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) has received a donation worth Sh500 million (US$3.94 million) of contraceptives and reproductive health supplies from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The medical supplies, including injectable contraceptives, male and female condoms, hormonal IUDs, implants, and oral contraceptives, are intended for distribution to over 8,000 health facilities across the country to benefit women living in rural and marginalized areas.

In addition to the supplies, the donation also included 60,000 sets of Levoplant contraceptive implants, which were procured with financial support from UKAid.

Moses Mbaruku, who received the donation on behalf of the Principal Secretary, Ministry of Health, noted that for Kenya to achieve the envisioned 64 percent modern contraceptive prevalence rate by 2030, it is necessary to redouble efforts and remain committed to family planning commodity security.

The Kenyan government has also allocated Sh890 million (US$7.0 million) in the current financial year towards procurement, warehousing, and distribution of contraceptives to support the country’s family planning efforts.

Data from the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey key indicator report show that injectable contraceptives and implants are the most commonly used contraception methods among women of reproductive age.

Despite progress, currently 14 percent of married women in Kenya aged 15-49 have an unmet need for family planning, limiting their ability to prevent unintended pregnancies and plan their families.

However, significant disparities still exist, with some counties such as Marsabit, Tana-River, and West Pokot reporting higher unmet needs for family planning at 38 percent, 37 percent, and 29 percent respectively.

To address this gap, the donated supplies will be distributed to women living in rural and hard-to-reach areas, providing them with access to a variety of family planning methods.

During the handover, Josephine Gauld, the UK Deputy High Commissioner and Permanent Representative to the UN Environment Programme and UN-Habitat, commended UNFPA and KEMSA for their efforts to deliver life-saving supplies to the last mile.

Gauld emphasized the importance of family planning in providing comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, empowering women, reducing poverty, and achieving sustainable development.

Need for robust maternal health interventions

Meanwhile, a recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the urgent need for more robust maternal health interventions.

Shockingly, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth around every two minutes, which is a worrying statistic.

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 3.1 is to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.

However, according to the report, maternal deaths have either increased or stagnated nearly everywhere.

The situation is made worse for many communities by the impact of climate change and prolonged conflict, along with over-stretched health systems that lack essential supplies and medicines.

The report’s authors have stressed that more research will be needed to show the true impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal deaths.

Moreover, unless progress is made on global targets for reducing maternal deaths, most of which are preventable, the lives of over one million more women by 2030 could be at risk.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to increase coverage of quality maternal health care and improve women’s ability to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.

The UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Executive Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem, has expressed deep concern about the report’s findings.

She emphasized that it is unacceptable that over 280,000 women die every year due to pregnancy and childbirth-related complications, and urgent action is required to address this issue.

Dr. Kanem highlighted the need for immediate investment in family planning and filling the global shortage of 900,000 midwives to ensure that every woman can access life-saving care.

She stated that the tools, knowledge, and resources to prevent maternal deaths exist, and what is needed now is political will to make it happen.

The report has highlighted the need for healthcare access to be improved in many regions and the urgent need to fortify health systems with the people, tools, and training they need to deliver quality care that will make a difference.

For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.