CS Aden Duale Inaugurates National MPDSR Steering Committee to Accelerate Reduction of Maternal and Newborn Deaths
Nairobi, - The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Hon. Aden Duale, has inaugurated the National Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response (MPDSR) Steering Committee, signalling renewed government resolve to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths across the country.
The initiative is anchored within Kenya’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda and aligns with the national commitment that no woman should lose her life while giving birth and no newborn should die from preventable causes. It will be advanced through the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) Acceleration Plan.
Speaking during the inauguration, the CS underscored that the MPDSR framework will be operationalised at facility, sub-county and county levels through routine, structured and action-oriented review meetings. Each reported death will prompt immediate corrective measures to ensure lessons learnt translate into concrete system reforms.
Findings from the reviews will guide national decision-making to address persistent gaps in emergency obstetric care, referral systems, blood and essential commodity availability, as well as staffing shortages. The evidence will inform policy reforms, targeted financing and coordinated implementation across the health system.
The MPDSR approach aims to transform loss into learning by turning every maternal and perinatal death into actionable insight that protects future mothers and newborns.
The government outlined several transformative measures to support the initiative. Policy directives to the Social Health Authority (SHA) and the Digital Health Agency (DHA) will enable maternity reimbursement for qualifying Level 2 and Level 3 facilities, strengthening primary healthcare and reducing financial barriers to skilled delivery. The SHA benefits package is also under review to align fully with national maternal and newborn care guidelines, while ambulance referral systems are being strengthened to improve timely access to lifesaving services.
Additionally, the National Blood Transfusion Services are being reinforced to address critical blood shortages identified in MPDSR reviews. Counties have been urged to prioritise human resources for health through recruitment, equitable deployment, continuous professional development and motivation of frontline health workers.
Hon. Duale called on healthcare providers to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, dignity, compassion and clinical excellence in maternal and newborn care. He also tasked the Steering Committee with ensuring that its recommendations translate into tangible improvements in health facilities, referral networks, commodity security, financing mechanisms and workforce support to safeguard the lives of mothers and newborns nationwide.
The inauguration was attended by Principal Secretaries Ms Mary Muthoni (Public Health and Professional Standards) and Dr Ouma Oluga (Medical Services), Director General for Health Dr Patrick Amoth, Council of Governors CEO Ms Mary Mwiti, and development partners Dr Pilar Molina (UNFPA), Ms Shaheen Nilofer (UNICEF) and Dr Neema Rusibamayila (WHO).