Kenya: World Population Day - Renewing Our Promise to Every Woman and Every Newborn Everywhere
[allAfrica] On World Population Day, we are often asked to look at numbers such as how many people we are, how fast we are growing, and what our population will need in the years ahead. They should help us understand the conditions into which people are born, the systems that shape their health and opportunity, and the futures they are able to build.
On World Population Day, we are often asked to look at numbers such as how many people we are, how fast we are growing, and what our population will need in the years ahead. They should help us understand the conditions into which people are born, the systems that shape their health and opportunity, and the futures they are able to build.
In Kenya, there are a few numbers that stop us in our tracks. Every single day, we lose an estimated 15 mothers to pregnancy-related causes, 92 newborns die and 93 stillbirths are recorded. The majority of these deaths are preventable. Over the past decade, the country has made significant gains in maternal and newborn health. Facility deliveries increased from 62 percent in 2014 to 89% percent in 2022. Almost all pregnant women now have at least one antenatal care visit and nearly four out of five mothers and newborns receive a critical postnatal check within the first 48 hours.
