The new facility will also have 20 neonatal High Dependency Units, 30 rooms for breastfeeding, an antenatal ward with 60 beds among other facilities/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 29 – Nairobi County will expand Pumwani Maternity Hospital by putting up a ten-storey 450-bed capacity building adjacent to the current facility.
Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko said the Nairobi County Assembly is expected to approve the expansion plans next week.
Speaking during an impromptu visit at the maternity hospital, Sonko said the groundbreaking is expected on November 20th, 2018 with the proposed facility expected to ease congestion currently being experienced at the Hospital.
It will have labour wards, delivery suites, four functional theatre wards, post-natal ward and newborn unit with 100 incubators.
The new facility will also have 20 neonatal High Dependency Units, 30 rooms for breastfeeding, antenatal ward with 60 beds, acute gynaecology with 50 beds, hostel for mothers with babies in the nursery and a mortuary with postmortem services among others.
Sonko’s impromptu visit to Pumwani at 4am on Saturday comes two weeks after 12 bodies of infants were found dumped in polythene paper bag and boxes in the hospital.
The Governor said his visit was to assess service delivery at the facility following administrative changes that Sonko had announced after the infants were found at the hospital.
Some of the women, who spoke to the Governor, said they have not been charged for maternity services.
“I have just given birth to my second kid. We were well received, and I delivered normally. I’m really grateful, I have not been charged anything,” said Mwende Nzioki, a mother of two.
Waithera Kimani and Akinyi Auma, who had also delivered at the facility, said they are glad to have given birth safely at the hands of the staff at Pumwani.
“Our mothers do a great job of bringing us to earth. Therefore, we should provide better facilities for them to deliver safely. We cannot afford to lose the mother or the child,” Sonko told the staff and the nursing mothers.
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