News Story

Saving Newborns in Kenya

In the last six months (January to July 2012), the Church through its humanitarian arm, the LDS Charities, has partnered with Kenya Pediatric Association of Kenya to train over 600 health workers on new-born baby resuscitation in Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kericho in a series of workshops.

The participants have come from Medical Training Referral Hospital, University of Nairobi, Kenyatta National Hospital, Garissa Provincial Hospital, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kijabe Hospital, Pumwani Maternity Hospital, Agakhan University Hospital, Nakuru Provincial Hospital, Thika General Hospital and Kitui General Hospital, among others.

The training has been conducted by a team of seven doctors from Kenya and four medical experts from the United States of America led by Debra and Stephen Whipple. Neonatal resuscitation is one of the major humanitarian initiatives for the LDS Charities which has partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics to develop a course that is taught to medical practitioners around the world. Over 193,000 such personnel in over 70 countries around the world have gone through the course.

During the training sessions, participants receive instructions for resuscitation of new born babies who in turn train their colleagues in the medical facilities where they work.

The Standard Newspaper (dated 21 Feb 2012), a leading national daily in Kenya, quoted Dr. John Wachira, in charge of training at the Kenya Pediatric Association,  as stating that many babies in Kenya are not receiving optimum neonatal care due to lack of resources.  

Margaret Chebet a nursing officer and a participant who handles an average of 20 births in a month at a local facility, stated after the Nakuru training, “This is one of the best trainings I have attended where we not only train but we go back with (resuscitation) equipment. I’m very happy about this. We are going to show our colleagues what we have learned and we have the equipment. So there is no excuse.” 

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