Despite Kenya's advancements in medical technology, survival of thousands of newborns remains in jeopardy, new research has revealed.
A study by the Kemri Wellcome Trust, in collaboration with Keprecon and Oxford University, shows that the crisis in neonatal healthcare is being driven by an overwhelming nurse-to-baby ratio currently averaging one nurse for every 25 newborns in most public facilities.
This is far below the recommended 1:1 to 1:4 ratios for critical cases.
Their findings paint a stark picture: while incubators, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines, and other advanced technologies have made their way into some public hospitals, there are simply not enough trained professionals to operate them and provide the hands-on, around-the-clock care that fragile newborns require.
