Objectives: To review if there is a change in the maternal mortality rate at the Kenyatta National Hospital since the inception of the Millennium Development Goal strategy in 1990, compared to earlier reviews. Design: A retrospective descriptive study. Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital. Subjects: Maternal deaths attributed directly to obstetric causes. Main outcome measures: Determination of maternal mortality rates of all patients admitted to the Kenyatta National Hospital Maternity and died after admission up till six weeks of admission. Also determine any avoidable causes of the same. Results: During the period under review, there were 27,455 deliveries and 253 maternal deaths giving a maternal mortality ratio of 921.5 per 100,000 live births. Direct obstetric causes accounted for 71% of all maternal deaths with sepsis, haemorrhage, and hypertension being the leading causes. Respiratory tract infections associated with HIV/ AIDS infection was the prominent indirect cause. 67.5% of deaths occurred in women aged between 25 and 35 years and 78.7% were Para 2 or less. Evidently there was poor antenatal clinic attendance with only 28.6% having had any attendance at all. Conclusion: Antenatal clinic attendance needs to be re-emphasised if an impact is to be realised in curbing maternal mortality; moreover there is need for early referrals and encouraging mothers to deliver under skilled care.

IntroductionPrematurity is the single most important cause of mortality during the neonatal period. The early growth of these infants has been shown to be a predictor of their later growth and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The objective of this study was to establish the determinants of early growth in preterm infants after hospital discharge at the Kitui District Hospital, Kenya.MethodsA short longitudinal study design was adopted to execute the study. During the period of April and June 2014, all the preterm infants who were discharged from the Kitui District Hospital Newborn Unit were enrolled in the study by obtaining written informed consent from their guardians. The anthropometric measurements of these infants were taken at discharge and repeated two weeks later at the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic and the Maternal Child health Clinic. A questionnaire guided interview was held with the guardians to establish infant and maternal characteristics which influenced the infants' early growth.ResultsA total of 112 participants were enrolled for the study with 106 (94.4%) of them being available for reassessment after two weeks. Majority (72.6%) had deficit in growth by failing to attain the recommended WHO average weight gain of 15g/kg/day. Most of the mothers (63.4%) were between the ages of 20-29 years with half of them being first time mothers. Many of them (66.1%) had only attained primary education and were married (66.1%) to self-employed husbands (56%).ConclusionMost of the preterm infants at discharge were females who were born between 33 and 36 weeks gestation. Growth deficit was present in the majority and gestational age at birth was a major determinant of the early growth in these preterm infants.

Background: Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) is a basic human right for every childbearing woman. Acts of disrespectful maternity care and abuse are commonly reported worldwide and are recognized as a powerful deterrence to facility based childbirth than the traditionally known accessibility. In Kenya, acts of disrespect and abuse are frequently reported. Objectives of the study: To assess the prevalence of disrespectful maternity care and abuse among women seeking maternity care services at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi. Methods: This study was conducted at the Kenyatta National Hospital maternity wards. A descriptive study design was employed and targeted 164 respondents. The study utilized an interviewer administered questionnaire and an observational checklist to collect required data. Participants were sampled using simple random sampling method. Data was collected between July 15 th and July 30 th 2017 and was entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS

A large proportion of pregnant women with malaria do not respond to chloroquine therapy and alternative drugs are required.

No abstract